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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. tear — to rip
  4. spring — a coil
  5. board — to get on
  6. spring — of water
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. file — a line of people
  9. tear — from crying
  10. craft — boats
  11. tear — from crying
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. file — a tool
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. board — a committee
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. file — a document
  21. spring — the season
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. craft — a skill
  24. branch — a division

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