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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 116 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mate — to breed
  6. tear — from crying
  7. prune — to trim
  8. spell — a short time
  9. craft — boats
  10. club — for dancing
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. dip — to sink
  13. mate — a partner
  14. tear — to rip
  15. craft — a skill
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mate — a friend
  18. spell — letters
  19. hand — in cards
  20. tear — from crying
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. spell — magic
  24. craft — a handicraft

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