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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 120 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. track — to keep track
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — boats
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. bound — certain
  12. track — a song
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bound — tied together
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bass — the fish
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. prune — to trim
  19. last — final
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bass — low music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. track — a path
  24. bound — obliged

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