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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. board — to get on
  3. bass — low music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cell — a phone
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. craft — boats
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bass — the fish
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cell — in biology
  16. spring — the season
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. spring — a coil
  20. board — a committee
  21. craft — a skill
  22. spring — of water
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. board — a flat piece

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