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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. lean — to bend
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lean — thin
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. squash — the sport
  9. march — the month
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. march — the month
  14. capital — money
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. march — music
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. craft — a skill
  22. squash — to crush
  23. capital — a city
  24. squash — the vegetable

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