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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 120 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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. craft — a skill
  4. lean — to bend
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. shower — rain
  9. foot — a measure
  10. lean — thin
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. prune — to trim
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. shower — to wash
  20. scale — in music
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. degree — an amount
  23. scale — size or range
  24. prune — to trim

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