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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spring — the season
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — boats
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wound — an injury
  11. staff — employees
  12. spring — of water
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. staff — employees
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. spring — a coil
  21. staff — a stick
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. lean — thin

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