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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cold — not warm
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. track — a song
  7. branch — a division
  8. cold — an illness
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cue — a hint
  11. land — ground
  12. craft — boats
  13. land — to come down
  14. plane — a tool
  15. track — a path
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. land — a country
  18. track — to keep track
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cue — for pool
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. plane — an aircraft

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