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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. last — finally
  3. hand — in cards
  4. snap — to click
  5. last — final
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. last — to go on
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. craft — a skill
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. date — the fruit
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. hand — help
  23. branch — a division
  24. bear — the animal

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