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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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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: craft · mouse · spring · bark · net · hand · stick · spell

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. spell — letters
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. net — in sport
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. hand — in cards
  7. net — for catching
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bark — to shout
  13. spell — magic
  14. spring — the season
  15. spell — a short time
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — a skill
  18. spring — a coil
  19. hand — help
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. net — after costs
  22. spring — of water
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. craft — boats

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