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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: cap · craft · leaves · pitcher · perch · content · bark · lie

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. cap — of ice
  3. lie — to recline
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. cap — a hat
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. content — happy
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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