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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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. rash — hasty
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rash — a series
  5. craft — boats
  6. prune — to trim
  7. field — farmland
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. march — the month
  10. branch — a division
  11. field — a subject
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rest — what's left
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. field — for sport
  19. rest — a break
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. craft — a skill
  23. rest — what's left
  24. racket — for tennis

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