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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: wound · wind · tube · fork · perch · craft · game · can

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. game — a match
  5. can — a tin
  6. tube — the underground
  7. perch — the fish
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wind — moving air
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wind — moving air
  17. can — a tin
  18. wound — an injury
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. tube — a container
  22. craft — boats
  23. fork — in a road
  24. can — to be able to

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