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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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Word bank
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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. craft — boats
  8. spell — a short time
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. spell — letters
  15. wound — an injury
  16. last — finally
  17. bass — the fish
  18. last — to go on
  19. snap — to click
  20. spell — magic
  21. cue — for pool
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. last — final
  24. bass — low music

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