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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. bark — to shout
  7. club — a group
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. content — happy
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. season — in sport
  15. club — for golf
  16. spell — letters
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. race — a contest
  21. content — the amount
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bark — of a tree

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