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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — in a race
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. chair — a leader
  13. craft — a skill
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. craft — boats
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — not warm

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