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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. staff — a stick
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. craft — boats
  5. current — happening now
  6. squash — the sport
  7. current — of water
  8. craft — a skill
  9. staff — employees
  10. band — a ring
  11. spell — magic
  12. swing — in golf
  13. band — a music group
  14. current — electric
  15. branch — a division
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — to crush
  18. swing — to play on
  19. staff — employees
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. spell — letters
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. swing — music
  24. spell — a short time

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