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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. net — for catching
  2. spring — the season
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. craft — boats
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rash — a series
  7. craft — a skill
  8. dip — to sink
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. spring — of water
  11. kid — to tease
  12. saw — the tool
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. staff — employees
  15. kid — child
  16. staff — employees
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. saw — the tool
  19. staff — a stick
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  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