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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: club · bay · prune · craft · calf · cap · fall · row

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cap — of ice
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. fall — to drop
  7. row — a line
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. prune — to trim
  10. club — for dancing
  11. prune — to trim
  12. club — a group
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cap — a lid
  15. row — to paddle
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. club — for golf
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. cap — a hat
  22. craft — a skill
  23. fall — the season
  24. calf — a young animal

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