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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. row — a line
  3. prune — to trim
  4. craft — a skill
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. march — the month
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. tear — from crying
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. tear — to rip
  11. current — electric
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. tear — from crying
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. current — of water
  16. craft — boats
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. march — music
  19. row — to paddle
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. current — happening now
  22. foot — a measure
  23. march — the month
  24. craft — a handicraft

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