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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rock — music
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. file — a document
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. clip — a video
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rock — a stone
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. foot — a measure
  13. file — a tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. craft — boats
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. sharp — clever
  20. clip — to cut
  21. craft — a skill
  22. file — a line of people
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. clip — for paper

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