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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. kick — in football
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in biology
  8. race — humankind
  9. prune — to trim
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. race — the arms race
  13. craft — a skill
  14. prune — to trim
  15. craft — boats
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. race — a contest
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. spring — of water
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. spring — the season
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. dip — to sink

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