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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. branch — a division
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. hand — in cards
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pit — in a race
  12. toast — bread
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. tear — from crying
  18. craft — boats
  19. hand — help
  20. pit — a hole
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. toast — the most admired

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