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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. roll — a list
  3. spring — the season
  4. face — to confront
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. ball — a great time
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. craft — boats
  10. bound — certain
  11. ball — a dance
  12. face — part of the head
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. spring — of water
  15. face — to point toward
  16. roll — a cake
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bound — obliged
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bound — tied together
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. spell — magic

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