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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 120 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pass — a permit
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. last — finally
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wax — to grow
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. stem — to come from
  20. branch — a division
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. craft — boats
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cold — an illness

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