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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rush — hurry
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. craft — boats
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. net — in sport
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. prune — to trim
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. net — after costs
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. net — for catching

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