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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. branch — a division
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. craft — boats
  6. pop — music
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. rash — hasty
  12. snap — to click
  13. tear — to rip
  14. craft — a skill
  15. tear — from crying
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. net — for catching
  18. charge — in control
  19. rash — a series
  20. charge — electricity
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. tear — from crying
  24. charge — a price

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