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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. content — the amount
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. craft — a skill
  5. content — happy
  6. bank — for money
  7. branch — a division
  8. season — in sport
  9. bound — tied together
  10. rash — hasty
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — the tool
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bound — certain
  15. rash — a series
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. craft — boats
  19. drill — a practice
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. craft — a handicraft

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