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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: snap · wound · perch · spell · craft · pitcher · suit · drill

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. suit — in cards
  6. spell — letters
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spell — magic
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. perch — the fish
  11. drill — army training
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — boats
  14. drill — a practice
  15. suit — clothes
  16. drill — the tool
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. snap — to click
  23. spell — a short time
  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