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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 116 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. rash — hasty
  3. craft — boats
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. saw — the tool
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — in music
  12. perch — the fish
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. craft — a skill
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. scale — size or range
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wound — an injury
  21. dip — to sink
  22. rash — a series
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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