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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.

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: track · cell · craft · perch · rush · fall · date · hand

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fall — the season
  3. track — to keep track
  4. fall — to drop
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. craft — a skill
  8. track — a song
  9. craft — boats
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — the fruit
  13. hand — help
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. perch — the fish
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rush — hurry
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. track — a path

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