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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. craft — a skill
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. ground — a position
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. date — the fruit
  8. deal — to handle
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pound — a weight
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. craft — boats
  20. ground — crushed
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. ground — the earth
  24. craft — a handicraft

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