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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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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: last · sharp · fine · staff · present · prune · craft · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. last — final
  3. fine — high quality
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. prune — to trim
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. present — a gift
  9. craft — boats
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. staff — employees
  14. craft — a skill
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fine — all right
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. last — to go on
  20. sharp — clever
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. last — finally
  24. prune — to trim

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