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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. kid — to tease
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. craft — a skill
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. suit — in cards
  8. content — happy
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. suit — clothes
  11. bass — low music
  12. content — the amount
  13. bass — the fish
  14. craft — boats
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. suit — to fit
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. branch — a division
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. kid — child

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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