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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 120 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. hand — help
  4. craft — boats
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bulb — for light
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. march — the month
  9. kick — in football
  10. march — music
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. degree — an amount
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bulb — for light
  18. march — the month
  19. degree — temperature
  20. sharp — clever
  21. degree — from a university
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. craft — a skill

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