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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 124 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. mark — a grade
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — a group
  5. degree — an amount
  6. land — ground
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. degree — temperature
  15. craft — boats
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. land — to come down
  18. mark — a trace
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. land — a country
  21. club — for golf
  22. craft — a skill
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mark — to pay attention

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