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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bear — the animal
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. game — wild animals
  9. spring — of water
  10. snap — to click
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. spring — the season
  14. scale — in music
  15. spring — a coil
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bound — obliged
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bear — the animal
  24. craft — a skill

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