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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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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 · tear · lean · temple · bowl · season · fork · wound

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. craft — boats
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. craft — a skill
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. lean — thin
  8. wound — an injury
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. fork — in a road
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. season — in sport
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. season — to add flavour

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