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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. craft — a skill
  3. branch — a division
  4. swing — music
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cap — a hat
  9. swing — to play on
  10. degree — an amount
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. tear — to rip
  13. degree — temperature
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. cap — a lid
  16. saw — the tool
  17. craft — boats
  18. bulb — for light
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cap — of ice
  21. tear — from crying
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. swing — in golf

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