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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. craft — a skill
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. chest — of your body
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. chest — of your body
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chest — a box
  21. perch — the fish
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mine — for digging

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