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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bank — for money
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. perch — the fish
  7. drill — a practice
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hand — help
  10. craft — a skill
  11. rock — music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. drill — the tool
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. bank — for money
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. hand — in cards
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bank — of a river
  24. rock — a stone

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