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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cold — not warm
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. tear — from crying
  9. craft — a skill
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cold — an illness
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fall — to drop
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. deal — to handle
  20. fall — to drop
  21. perch — the fish
  22. date — the fruit
  23. craft — boats
  24. fall — the season

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