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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 120 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. craft — boats
  5. club — for dancing
  6. craft — a skill
  7. present — the time now
  8. bark — to shout
  9. present — a gift
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. present — there
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — a group
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. scale — in music
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bark — of a tree

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