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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. perch — the fish
  4. snap — to click
  5. craft — a skill
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bat — the animal
  11. band — a ring
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. ground — a position
  15. bark — to shout
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. ground — crushed
  18. craft — boats
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. band — a music group
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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