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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. net — in sport
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. cell — in biology
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. snap — to click
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cell — a phone
  15. chest — of your body
  16. craft — a skill
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cell — in a prison

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