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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 120 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pop — soda
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pop — music
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. hand — help
  8. pop — to visit
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hand — in cards
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. prune — to trim
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. saw — the tool
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. current — electric
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — a skill
  24. temple — a place of worship

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