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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cue — for pool
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. net — in sport
  9. craft — boats
  10. pop — soda
  11. cue — a hint
  12. net — after costs
  13. cue — a signal
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. chest — a box
  17. net — for catching
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pop — to visit
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pop — music

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