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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. spring — of water
  3. spell — letters
  4. bound — certain
  5. spell — magic
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bound — tied together
  10. craft — boats
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. saw — the tool
  13. perch — the fish
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. spell — a short time
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. craft — a skill
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bound — obliged
  20. spring — the season
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. spring — a coil
  24. patient — a sick person

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