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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. object — to protest
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bear — the animal
  8. object — an aim
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. perch — the fish
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. craft — boats
  13. sharp — clever
  14. content — the amount
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. spring — the season
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. object — a thing
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — of water
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. craft — a skill

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