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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 116 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. mark — a trace
  3. spell — letters
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. spell — magic
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pound — a weight
  8. plane — a tool
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. craft — boats
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. branch — a division
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. wound — an injury
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wound — an injury
  24. branch — of a bank

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