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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.

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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. craft — a skill
  3. scale — in music
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. scale — size or range
  6. file — a line of people
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. file — a tool
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. file — a document
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. craft — boats
  18. branch — a division

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