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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. craft — a skill
  2. branch — a division
  3. pop — music
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. fine — all right
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. swing — music
  11. craft — boats
  12. pop — to visit
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. field — a subject
  16. swing — in golf
  17. pop — soda
  18. field — for sport
  19. swing — to play on
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lean — to bend
  22. fine — high quality
  23. field — farmland
  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