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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bound — tied together
  3. game — wild animals
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. bound — obliged
  7. row — to paddle
  8. craft — boats
  9. bound — certain
  10. branch — a division
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. game — a match
  13. track — a path
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. net — after costs
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. row — a line
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. track — a song

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