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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. wound — an injury
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bear — the animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. bear — the animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. rush — hurry
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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