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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mate — to breed
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pop — music
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mate — a friend
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. craft — a skill
  13. pop — soda
  14. branch — a division
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. mate — a partner
  22. craft — boats
  23. sharp — clever
  24. rash — a series

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