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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bat — the animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. squash — the sport
  8. face — part of the head
  9. perch — the fish
  10. band — a music group
  11. face — to confront
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. band — a ring
  21. craft — a skill
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. craft — boats

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com