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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. track — a path
  4. craft — a skill
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. craft — boats
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. shower — to wash
  10. snap — to click
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. track — to keep track
  14. branch — a division
  15. shower — rain
  16. press — a publisher
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. track — a song
  22. press — to push
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. craft — a handicraft

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