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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 120 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. fine — high quality
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. season — of the year
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. season — in sport
  12. last — finally
  13. bound — certain
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fine — all right
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. scale — in music
  20. branch — a division
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bound — tied together
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bound — obliged

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