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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. clip — to cut
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. face — to confront
  6. file — a line of people
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. wound — an injury
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. face — part of the head
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. clip — for paper
  15. file — a document
  16. clip — a video
  17. face — to point toward
  18. wound — an injury
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. craft — boats
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. lie — to recline
  23. file — a tool
  24. perch — the fish

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