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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bark — to shout
  3. kid — to tease
  4. present — a gift
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. present — there
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. craft — a skill
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. prune — to trim
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. craft — boats
  18. kid — child
  19. fork — in a road
  20. net — for catching
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — in sport

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