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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mark — a trace
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mark — a grade
  9. spring — of water
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. game — a match
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. spring — a coil
  16. prune — to trim
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. craft — boats
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. craft — a skill
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. game — a kind of play

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