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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. row — a line
  6. craft — a skill
  7. suit — to fit
  8. rule — a law
  9. scale — size or range
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. suit — clothes
  12. craft — boats
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rule — government
  17. scale — in music
  18. prune — to trim
  19. row — to paddle
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. ball — a great time
  22. spring — of water
  23. suit — in cards
  24. ball — a dance

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