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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 120 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — not warm
  5. spell — magic
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. current — of water
  8. craft — a skill
  9. prune — to trim
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. current — electric
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bark — to shout
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. spell — letters
  22. current — happening now
  23. craft — boats
  24. cabinet — ministers

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