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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. chair — a leader
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. club — a group
  6. bark — to shout
  7. file — a document
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. scale — in music
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. club — for golf
  16. craft — boats
  17. club — for dancing
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. file — a line of people
  22. craft — a skill
  23. file — a tool
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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