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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 120 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. ground — the earth
  3. spring — the season
  4. bound — obliged
  5. perch — the fish
  6. ground — crushed
  7. craft — a skill
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. spring — a coil
  10. shower — rain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. shower — to wash
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bound — certain
  19. vault — a safe
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. ground — a position
  23. spring — of water
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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