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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. lean — thin
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. drill — the tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. drill — a practice
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. snap — to click
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. lean — to bend
  13. season — of the year
  14. march — music
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. march — the month
  18. craft — a skill
  19. season — in sport
  20. drill — army training
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. prune — to trim
  23. craft — boats
  24. march — the month

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