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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: craft · ruler · bay · arm · prune · clip · leaves · racket

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. prune — to trim
  9. clip — to cut
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. craft — boats
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. clip — for paper
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. clip — a video
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. craft — a skill
  24. leaves — lets stay

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