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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. craft — a skill
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. roll — a cake
  17. spring — the season
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. bore — to drill
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. prune — to trim
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. bore — to tire

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