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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. craft — boats
  3. cell — a phone
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. hand — help
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. prune — to trim
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. track — a path
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. craft — a skill
  16. hand — in cards
  17. track — to keep track
  18. file — a tool
  19. cell — in biology
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. track — a song

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