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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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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · cabinet · craft · prune · fall · present · suit · game

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. prune — to trim
  6. craft — boats
  7. fall — the season
  8. present — the time now
  9. fall — to drop
  10. present — a gift
  11. game — a match
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. craft — a skill
  18. present — there
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. suit — to fit
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. suit — in cards
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hide — animal skin

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