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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. prune — to trim
  3. file — a line of people
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. craft — boats
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. prune — to trim
  11. can — a tin
  12. snap — to click
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. craft — a skill
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. chip — to eat
  17. file — a tool
  18. chip — for betting
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. can — a tin
  21. file — a document
  22. mark — a trace
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. mark — a grade

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