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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 124 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 had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mark — a grade
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. fork — in a road
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. craft — boats
  11. spell — letters
  12. fall — to drop
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mark — a trace
  16. spell — magic
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. fall — the season
  20. shower — to wash
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. last — to go on

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