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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — a skill
  5. prune — to trim
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. march — the month
  8. kid — child
  9. craft — boats
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. net — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fall — to drop
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ground — the earth
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. kid — to tease

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