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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. craft — boats
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bulb — for light
  7. land — a country
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bulb — for light
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. land — to come down
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. craft — a skill
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. season — of the year
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. branch — a division
  24. season — in sport

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