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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bass — low music
  8. craft — a skill
  9. prune — to trim
  10. current — of water
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bass — the fish
  14. degree — from a university
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pop — music
  17. current — electric
  18. pop — soda
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. degree — an amount
  22. current — happening now
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. degree — temperature

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