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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. rush — hurry
  11. fall — to drop
  12. craft — a skill
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. key — in music
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. saw — the tool
  19. craft — boats
  20. fall — the season
  21. saw — the tool
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. craft — a handicraft

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