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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. saw — the tool
  2. degree — from a university
  3. band — a music group
  4. saw — the tool
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. last — to go on
  8. degree — temperature
  9. branch — a division
  10. band — a ring
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. ball — a dance
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. foot — a measure
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. degree — an amount
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a skill
  21. ball — a great time
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  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