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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. clip — for paper
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. track — a path
  8. branch — a division
  9. craft — boats
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bound — tied together
  13. clip — a video
  14. bound — certain
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. clip — to cut
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bound — obliged

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