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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. board — a committee
  6. rash — a series
  7. spring — the season
  8. board — to get on
  9. branch — a division
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a skill
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. tear — to rip
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. fork — in a road
  17. spring — of water
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. tear — from crying

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