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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. wind — moving air
  4. track — to keep track
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. last — to go on
  7. craft — boats
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cue — a hint
  10. capital — money
  11. cue — a signal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. craft — a skill
  14. capital — a city
  15. last — finally
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cue — for pool
  19. track — a song
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. track — a path
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. last — final
  24. prune — to trim

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