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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. spring — of water
  3. branch — a division
  4. bound — certain
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. craft — a skill
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bound — obliged
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. spring — the season
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. branch — of a tree

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