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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. can — a tin
  4. ground — a position
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. bore — to tire
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bore — to drill
  18. craft — a skill
  19. can — a tin
  20. spell — a short time
  21. can — to be able to
  22. chair — a leader
  23. ground — the earth
  24. craft — a handicraft

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