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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. craft — a skill
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. row — a line
  8. craft — boats
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bulb — for light
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fall — to drop
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fall — the season
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bulb — for light
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. row — to paddle
  24. prune — the fruit

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