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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. branch — of a tree
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. land — to come down
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. field — farmland
  7. fork — in a road
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. field — for sport
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. field — a subject
  15. branch — a division
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. land — ground
  20. rest — a break
  21. chair — a leader
  22. land — a country
  23. branch — of a bank
  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