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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bear — the animal
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bass — low music
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bass — the fish
  17. prune — to trim
  18. roll — a list

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