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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 116 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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. season — of the year
  3. face — part of the head
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. craft — a skill
  6. face — to confront
  7. band — a ring
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. band — a music group
  10. season — in sport
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. face — to point toward
  18. field — for sport
  19. branch — a division
  20. plane — a tool
  21. field — a subject
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. field — farmland
  24. craft — boats

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