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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rash — hasty
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. shower — rain
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. craft — a skill
  13. branch — a division
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. craft — boats
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant

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