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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. spring — the season
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. spring — a coil
  6. capital — money
  7. spring — of water
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. capital — a city
  10. craft — boats
  11. perch — the fish
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. row — a line
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. craft — a skill
  20. mine — for digging
  21. row — to paddle
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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