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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 116 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. season — of the year
  3. spell — magic
  4. craft — a skill
  5. mate — a friend
  6. firm — a company
  7. spell — letters
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. spell — a short time
  12. firm — decided
  13. cold — not warm
  14. craft — boats
  15. firm — steady
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. season — in sport
  23. mate — a partner
  24. season — to add flavour

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