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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. board — to get on
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. board — a committee
  9. prune — to trim
  10. sharp — clever
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cap — a lid
  14. craft — boats
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wind — moving air
  17. foot — a measure
  18. wind — moving air
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. craft — a skill
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. cap — a hat
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. cap — of ice

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