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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. spell — magic
  3. rash — a series
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bark — to shout
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. spell — letters
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. craft — boats
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rash — hasty
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fan — to cool the air

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