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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. craft — a skill
  3. branch — a division
  4. craft — boats
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rest — what's left
  7. court — of law
  8. wound — an injury
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. squash — to crush
  11. court — of a king
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rest — a break
  16. court — for sport
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. squash — the sport
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. branch — of a bank

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