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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wake — a trail
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. court — for sport
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. branch — a division
  12. rush — hurry
  13. row — a line
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. court — of law
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. present — there
  18. craft — a skill
  19. present — a gift
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. court — of a king
  22. craft — boats
  23. present — the time now
  24. row — to paddle

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