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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. last — to go on
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. craft — boats
  6. season — of the year
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wound — an injury
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. season — in sport
  15. last — finally
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. branch — a division
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. last — final

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