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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. board — to get on
  3. spring — of water
  4. prune — to trim
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mine — for digging
  9. board — a committee
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. craft — boats
  15. spring — the season
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. sharp — clever
  23. craft — a skill
  24. spring — a coil

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