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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mate — a friend
  3. object — an aim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. row — a line
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mate — a partner
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bore — to drill
  12. prune — to trim
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. staff — employees
  15. object — a thing
  16. craft — a skill
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. staff — employees
  23. object — to protest
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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