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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — boats
  3. scale — size or range
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. prune — to trim
  6. spell — magic
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. branch — a division
  9. stock — goods
  10. suit — in cards
  11. stock — shares
  12. craft — a skill
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — to fit
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. scale — in music
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. squash — to crush
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — letters

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