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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. prune — to trim
  13. season — in sport
  14. craft — boats
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. season — of the year
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. prune — to trim
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. fork — in a road

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