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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 116 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. content — happy
  5. present — there
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. present — the time now
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. prune — to trim
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. craft — boats
  20. present — a gift
  21. content — the amount
  22. plane — a tool
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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