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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ground — a position
  3. craft — a skill
  4. mug — a cup
  5. scale — in music
  6. chip — for betting
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ground — crushed
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. ground — the earth
  12. mug — a face
  13. drill — the tool
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. craft — boats
  16. drill — a practice
  17. mug — to rob
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. scale — size or range
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. drill — army training

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