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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pit — a hole
  7. clip — a video
  8. bark — to shout
  9. row — a line
  10. bear — the animal
  11. craft — boats
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. clip — to cut
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. craft — a skill
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pit — in a race
  20. row — to paddle
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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