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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. craft — a skill
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. squash — to crush
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — to tease
  8. perch — the fish
  9. craft — boats
  10. bulb — for light
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bulb — for light
  13. last — to go on
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. last — finally
  16. squash — the sport
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. last — final

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