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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. land — a country
  3. branch — a division
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. land — ground
  7. staff — employees
  8. chair — a leader
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. rest — a break
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. craft — boats
  15. cell — a phone
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rest — what's left
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. land — to come down
  23. spell — letters
  24. rest — what's left

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