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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. craft — boats
  3. prune — to trim
  4. foot — a measure
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bank — of a river
  7. craft — a skill
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bank — for money
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bank — for money
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ball — a dance
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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