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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. row — to paddle
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. craft — a skill
  5. lean — to bend
  6. branch — a division
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. race — a contest
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. row — a line
  14. lean — thin
  15. saw — the tool
  16. craft — boats
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. march — music
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. march — the month

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