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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. branch — a division
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. field — farmland
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. field — a subject
  12. bark — to shout
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. band — a music group
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. craft — boats
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. craft — a skill
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rash — hasty
  23. band — a ring
  24. field — for sport

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