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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 124 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. craft — boats
  4. wound — an injury
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. last — to go on
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. last — final
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bound — obliged
  13. root — the cause
  14. bound — certain
  15. last — finally
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. root — of a word
  20. rush — hurry
  21. craft — a skill
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bound — tied together

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