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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. suit — to fit
  3. craft — a skill
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mine — for digging
  14. suit — clothes
  15. branch — a division
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cold — not warm
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bulb — for light
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cold — an illness

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