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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · craft · cold · perch · bear · present · race · safe

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. perch — the fish
  3. present — a gift
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. present — the time now
  8. craft — boats
  9. bear — the animal
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bear — the animal
  12. race — a contest
  13. cold — not warm
  14. race — the arms race
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. lean — to bend
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. race — humankind
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. present — there
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. craft — a skill

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