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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. file — a tool
  6. degree — temperature
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bound — certain
  10. prune — to trim
  11. file — a document
  12. degree — from a university
  13. file — a line of people
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. field — a subject
  16. craft — boats
  17. mate — a partner
  18. field — for sport
  19. mate — a friend
  20. craft — a skill
  21. stand — to bear
  22. field — farmland
  23. mate — to breed
  24. stand — on your feet

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