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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 120 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wind — moving air
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. branch — a division
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. net — for catching
  9. wind — moving air
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. craft — a skill
  15. net — after costs
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. craft — boats
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. march — the month

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