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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. craft — boats
  4. rest — what's left
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. craft — a skill
  8. current — electric
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bark — to shout
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. current — happening now
  21. rest — a break
  22. current — of water
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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