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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mate — to breed
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — for betting
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. chip — to eat
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. craft — boats
  11. season — of the year
  12. mate — a partner
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mate — a friend
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bark — to shout
  22. season — in sport
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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