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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pop — music
  4. season — in sport
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. prune — to trim
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wind — moving air
  10. hand — help
  11. season — of the year
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. hand — in cards
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. pop — soda
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pop — to visit
  24. safe — out of danger

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