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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. kid — to tease
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. prune — to trim
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. kid — child
  10. craft — boats
  11. bulb — for light
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. craft — a skill
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. prune — to trim
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bulb — of a plant

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