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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bound — tied together
  4. branch — a division
  5. fall — to drop
  6. craft — boats
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. march — music
  10. fall — to drop
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fall — the season
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bound — certain
  17. board — to get on
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bound — obliged
  21. craft — a skill
  22. march — the month
  23. board — a committee
  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