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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bear — the animal
  5. field — farmland
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. field — a subject
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bear — the animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. chest — of your body
  19. field — for sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. prune — to trim

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