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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. last — finally
  3. lean — to bend
  4. squash — the sport
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. lean — thin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. craft — boats
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. degree — an amount
  14. squash — to crush
  15. last — to go on
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. wound — an injury
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. degree — from a university
  20. last — final
  21. prune — to trim
  22. degree — temperature
  23. land — a country
  24. wound — an injury

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