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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 120 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 · staff · fall · season · pit · saw · cell · perch

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. season — in sport
  4. cell — in biology
  5. staff — a stick
  6. fall — to drop
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. saw — the tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. fall — the season
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. staff — employees
  14. craft — a skill
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. craft — boats
  18. season — of the year
  19. pit — in a race
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. staff — employees
  22. pit — a hole
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cell — a phone

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