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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. scale — in music
  5. net — in sport
  6. board — to get on
  7. scale — size or range
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. row — to paddle
  10. board — a committee
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — to shout
  13. craft — a skill
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. prune — to trim
  18. craft — boats
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. net — after costs
  23. row — a line
  24. net — for catching

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