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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  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. craft — boats
  2. mate — a friend
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bark — to shout
  5. mate — to breed
  6. sharp — clever
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. cue — a signal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. craft — a skill
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. rush — a thrill
  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