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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bulb — for light
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. craft — boats
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bulb — for light
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. branch — a division
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. swing — music
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. swing — to play on

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