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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. field — for sport
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bear — the animal
  6. field — a subject
  7. bulb — for light
  8. branch — a division
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bulb — for light
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. toast — bread
  17. craft — a skill
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bear — the animal
  20. scale — in music
  21. field — farmland
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. perch — for a bird

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