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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. saw — the tool
  11. file — a tool
  12. season — in sport
  13. saw — the tool
  14. season — of the year
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. file — a document
  17. bass — the fish
  18. craft — boats
  19. file — a line of people
  20. deal — to handle
  21. craft — a skill
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bass — low music

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