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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pop — music
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. chest — of your body
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pop — soda
  9. craft — boats
  10. prune — to trim
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pop — to visit
  13. row — a line
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rule — government
  17. chest — a box
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. rule — a law
  24. bay — a horse colour

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