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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. craft — boats
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. hand — help
  8. craft — a skill
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. plane — a tool
  12. season — of the year
  13. spell — magic
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. wound — an injury
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. foot — a measure
  23. season — in sport
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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