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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. craft — a skill
  3. file — a tool
  4. last — to go on
  5. lean — to bend
  6. last — final
  7. season — in sport
  8. lean — thin
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bound — obliged
  16. last — finally
  17. branch — a division
  18. bound — tied together
  19. craft — boats
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. season — of the year
  24. bound — certain

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