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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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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: cabinet · prune · wound · chair · bowl · craft · pit · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. pop — music
  2. craft — a skill
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pop — soda
  7. craft — boats
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. prune — to trim
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pop — to visit
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a hole
  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