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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fall — to drop
  3. can — a tin
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. craft — a skill
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. can — to be able to
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. can — a tin
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — completely
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — boats
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fall — the season
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. prune — the fruit

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