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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bat — the animal
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. craft — a skill
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — a stone
  13. fork — in a road
  14. rock — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. ground — a position
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. craft — boats
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. ground — crushed
  23. swing — music
  24. prune — to trim

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