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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. craft — boats
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. craft — a skill
  15. chest — a box
  16. row — a line
  17. chest — of your body
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ball — a dance
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. row — to paddle
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. branch — of a bank

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