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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. march — the month
  6. track — a path
  7. prune — to trim
  8. march — the month
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. prune — to trim
  12. track — a song
  13. last — final
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. craft — boats
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. craft — a skill
  19. march — music
  20. last — to go on
  21. pass — a permit
  22. track — to keep track
  23. last — finally
  24. prune — the fruit

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