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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. prune — to trim
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. fall — to drop
  5. deal — to handle
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. fall — the season
  8. chair — a leader
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. capital — a city
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fall — to drop
  16. craft — boats
  17. bound — certain
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bound — obliged
  23. capital — money
  24. jam — a tight spot

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