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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 124 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. craft — a skill
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. chest — a box
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. chest — of your body
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. craft — boats
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chest — of your body

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