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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fork — in a road
  6. sharp — clever
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. lean — to bend
  11. prune — to trim
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. craft — a skill
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. lean — thin
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. foot — a measure
  24. hide — animal skin

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