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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. prune — to trim
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cold — not warm
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. game — wild animals
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. game — a match
  16. rock — music
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bulb — for light
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. craft — boats
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. prune — to trim
  23. craft — a skill
  24. calf — a young animal

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