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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. game — a match
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mate — a partner
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. tear — from crying
  21. craft — a skill
  22. prune — to trim
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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