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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spring — of water
  3. craft — a skill
  4. content — happy
  5. last — final
  6. cap — of ice
  7. content — the amount
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. perch — the fish
  13. spring — the season
  14. last — to go on
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cap — a hat
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cap — a lid
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. last — finally
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. craft — boats
  24. rest — what's left

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