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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. spring — the season
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. field — farmland
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fall — to drop
  7. craft — a skill
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fall — the season
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. field — a subject
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bank — for money
  14. field — for sport
  15. spring — of water
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bank — for money
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bank — of a river
  21. staff — employees
  22. prune — to trim
  23. staff — employees
  24. bowl — to roll

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