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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bat — the animal
  6. spring — of water
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. perch — the fish
  12. kid — to tease
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. march — music
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. march — the month
  19. craft — boats
  20. net — in sport
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. kid — child
  23. spring — a coil
  24. march — the month

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