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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. dip — to sink
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. craft — boats
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. branch — a division
  24. mouse — the animal

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