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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — boats
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. cap — of ice
  6. ground — a position
  7. craft — a skill
  8. track — to keep track
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. track — a path
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cap — a lid
  13. march — music
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wake — a trail
  18. track — a song
  19. ground — crushed
  20. cap — a hat
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. march — the month
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. march — the month

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