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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. lie — to recline
  6. cue — a hint
  7. craft — boats
  8. bass — low music
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. branch — a division
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rest — a break
  21. rule — a law
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. rule — government
  24. rest — what's left

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