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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bound — obliged
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. land — to come down
  10. spring — of water
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. spring — the season
  16. chest — a box
  17. craft — a skill
  18. land — ground
  19. bound — tied together
  20. land — a country
  21. craft — boats
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bound — certain
  24. lie — to recline

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