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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. fall — to drop
  5. face — to point toward
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. craft — a skill
  8. ball — a dance
  9. face — part of the head
  10. ground — a position
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bear — the animal
  13. face — to confront
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. ground — the earth
  19. stem — to come from
  20. fall — the season
  21. ball — a great time
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fall — to drop

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