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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — boats
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cell — in biology
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. snap — to click
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — the most admired

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