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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 120 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. march — the month
  5. court — for sport
  6. cap — of ice
  7. court — of law
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bore — to tire
  10. craft — boats
  11. cap — a hat
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. club — for golf
  14. court — of a king
  15. march — music
  16. branch — a division
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. club — for dancing
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bore — to drill
  24. march — the month

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