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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. scale — in music
  3. bass — low music
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. branch — a division
  6. scale — size or range
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. fork — in a road
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pitch — completely
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. foot — a measure
  19. craft — boats
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. date — the fruit

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