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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. cell — a phone
  3. prune — to trim
  4. craft — boats
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. spell — magic
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. spell — letters
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. spell — a short time
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. pop — soda
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — a hat
  24. saw — the tool

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