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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 116 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.

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: bat · mate · prune · degree · bark · key · lie · craft

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. craft — boats
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mate — a partner
  5. degree — from a university
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. bark — to shout
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mate — to breed
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bat — the animal
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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