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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pound — a weight
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wake — a trail
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. field — for sport
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. field — farmland
  16. craft — a skill
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. field — a subject
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. racket — for tennis

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