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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. craft — a skill
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. squash — to crush
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. fork — in a road
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. squash — the sport
  12. drill — the tool
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. wax — to grow
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pound — a weight
  19. branch — a division
  20. drill — army training
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. craft — boats
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. fine — high quality

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