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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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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fall — the season
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fall — to drop
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wind — moving air
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. perch — the fish
  21. squash — to crush
  22. lean — thin
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. deal — an agreement

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