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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. craft — a skill
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rush — hurry
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fall — the season
  11. land — ground
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. land — to come down
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. fall — to drop
  18. land — a country
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. tube — a container
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. craft — boats

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