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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. game — wild animals
  8. chip — for betting
  9. branch — a division
  10. game — a match
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. kick — in football
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. bark — to shout
  20. fork — in a road
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. chip — to eat

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