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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. net — after costs
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. craft — boats
  5. cue — a hint
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. craft — a skill
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. net — in sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. cue — for pool
  20. net — for catching
  21. row — a line
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cue — a signal
  24. row — to paddle

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