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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. prune — to trim
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. clip — for paper
  6. craft — boats
  7. row — a line
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. key — the most important part
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. key — in music
  12. plane — a tool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. row — to paddle
  16. chest — a box
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. key — for a lock
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. chest — of your body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. craft — a skill

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