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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. drill — a practice
  3. prune — to trim
  4. snap — to click
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. firm — decided
  8. drill — the tool
  9. craft — a skill
  10. drill — army training
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. prune — to trim
  13. band — a ring
  14. firm — a company
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. craft — boats
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to sink
  20. ball — a dance
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. ball — a great time
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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