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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. craft — a skill
  6. shower — rain
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bark — to shout
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. prune — to trim
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. shower — to wash
  18. last — to go on
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. last — final
  23. craft — boats
  24. last — finally

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