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

Word bank: mate · craft · nail · kick · wake · cell · prune · tear

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wake — a trail
  3. craft — a skill
  4. mate — a partner
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cell — in biology
  9. tear — to rip
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. tear — from crying
  12. craft — boats
  13. kick — in football
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mate — to breed
  16. prune — to trim
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. tear — from crying
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mate — a friend

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