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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. prune — the fruit
  2. craft — a skill
  3. prune — to trim
  4. game — a match
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. net — after costs
  10. pit — in a race
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. craft — boats
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. chair — a leader
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. prune — to trim
  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