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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rest — a break
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rest — what's left
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. net — after costs
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. craft — boats
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rest — what's left
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bear — the 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