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

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. branch — a division
  4. row — a line
  5. capital — money
  6. wake — a trail
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. lean — to bend
  9. craft — boats
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bore — to drill
  19. lean — thin
  20. bore — to tire
  21. capital — a city
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. craft — a skill

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