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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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. lean — thin
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. craft — boats
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. prune — to trim
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — in football
  11. bass — low music
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. prune — to trim
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. clip — to cut
  24. craft — a skill

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