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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. spell — magic
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. plane — a tool
  16. craft — boats
  17. saw — the tool
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bat — the animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. spell — letters
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. pitcher — a jug

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