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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 116 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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 — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bank — of a river
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. prune — to trim
  8. shower — rain
  9. game — a match
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. stock — goods
  12. face — to confront
  13. craft — boats
  14. game — wild animals
  15. kid — to tease
  16. stock — shares
  17. bank — for money
  18. kid — child
  19. bank — for money
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. shower — to wash
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  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