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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. rush — hurry
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pass — a permit
  15. craft — a skill
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. branch — a division
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. snap — to click
  23. mine — for digging
  24. leaves — to go away

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