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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. branch — a division
  3. key — in music
  4. club — for dancing
  5. charge — in control
  6. march — the month
  7. craft — boats
  8. march — music
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. craft — a skill
  12. key — the most important part
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — a face
  15. charge — a price
  16. march — the month
  17. club — a group
  18. key — for a lock
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. club — for golf
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. charge — electricity
  24. mug — to rob

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