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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. present — there
  4. cue — for pool
  5. clip — for paper
  6. prune — to trim
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. cue — a hint
  9. craft — boats
  10. prune — to trim
  11. present — a gift
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. firm — a company
  14. present — the time now
  15. mine — for digging
  16. cue — a signal
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — decided
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. snap — to click
  24. craft — a handicraft

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