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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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: craft · mine · spell · squash · prune · lean · wave · content

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mine — for digging
  9. content — happy
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. lean — to bend
  15. spell — magic
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. content — the amount
  18. squash — the sport
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — boats
  21. lean — thin
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. spell — letters

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