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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bear — the animal
  9. swing — in golf
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bear — the animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rash — hasty
  14. swing — music
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. perch — the fish
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rash — a series
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. swing — to play on
  22. snap — to click
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bear — to put up with

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