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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 116 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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. lean — thin
  3. mine — for digging
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. craft — boats
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — the animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. lean — to bend
  10. saw — the tool
  11. press — newspapers
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fork — in a road
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. craft — a skill
  19. press — to push
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. press — a publisher
  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