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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stock — shares
  5. bound — certain
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. stock — goods
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bass — low music
  11. band — a ring
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. kick — in football
  18. band — a music group
  19. craft — boats
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bark — of a tree

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