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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. wound — an injury
  3. craft — boats
  4. race — humankind
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. scale — in music
  7. branch — a division
  8. scale — size or range
  9. wound — an injury
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. craft — a skill
  14. spell — magic
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — a contest
  18. last — finally
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. spell — a short time
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. spell — letters

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