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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  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. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. craft — boats
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. board — a committee
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. toast — bread
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — not warm
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cold — an illness
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. board — to get on
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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