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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. craft — a skill
  3. prune — to trim
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rule — a law
  6. field — farmland
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mine — for digging
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. prune — to trim
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. craft — boats
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. dip — to sink
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. field — a subject
  22. rule — government
  23. field — for sport
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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