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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. wound — an injury
  4. craft — boats
  5. staff — a stick
  6. snap — to click
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. craft — a skill
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bear — the animal
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. staff — employees
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. saw — the tool
  16. staff — employees
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — happy
  24. saw — the tool

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