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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 120 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. craft — a skill
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. spring — the season
  6. root — of a word
  7. craft — boats
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. lie — to recline
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. root — the cause
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. ball — a dance
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. content — happy
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ball — a great time
  22. content — the amount
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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