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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. sharp — clever
  9. prune — to trim
  10. saw — the tool
  11. game — a match
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. saw — the tool
  18. craft — boats
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. prune — to trim
  21. craft — a skill
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. branch — a division
  24. kick — in football

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