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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. craft — boats
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — soda
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. branch — a division
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. net — after costs
  11. pop — music
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. race — humankind
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. race — a contest
  17. mate — a friend
  18. craft — a skill
  19. cell — a phone
  20. race — the arms race
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. cell — in biology

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