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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. rash — a series
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rash — hasty
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. craft — boats
  8. ground — crushed
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ground — the earth
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bat — the animal
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. roll — a list
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ground — a position
  22. craft — a skill
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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