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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. craft — a skill
  4. staff — employees
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. last — final
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. saw — the tool
  13. track — to keep track
  14. craft — boats
  15. tear — from crying
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. staff — a stick
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. branch — of a bank

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