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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: mug · spell · craft · wound · saw · calf · dip · tear

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. spell — a short time
  4. dip — to sink
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. tear — from crying
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. wound — an injury
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. spell — magic
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mug — a face
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. tear — to rip
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. spell — letters

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