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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. wake — a trail
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. foot — a measure
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. branch — a division
  10. fall — to drop
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. fall — the season
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. craft — a skill
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. fall — to drop
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. craft — boats

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