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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. band — a ring
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pop — music
  5. band — a music group
  6. craft — a skill
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. ground — a position
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. craft — boats
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. ground — the earth
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. branch — a division
  24. lash — an eyelash

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