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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 116 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. club — for dancing
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. club — a group
  6. spell — magic
  7. craft — a skill
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. craft — boats
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bat — the animal
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. club — for golf
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. spell — letters
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rush — hurry

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