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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.

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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: fork · shower · saw · craft · clip · perch · ball · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. shower — rain
  4. clip — for paper
  5. craft — boats
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. clip — to cut
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. ball — a great time
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. craft — a skill
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. clip — a video
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. shower — to wash
  22. fork — in a road
  23. saw — the tool
  24. ball — a dance

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