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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. stock — goods
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. track — a song
  7. wound — an injury
  8. club — for golf
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. craft — boats
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bark — to shout
  14. club — for dancing
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. stock — shares
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. club — a group
  23. wound — an injury
  24. sharp — with an edge

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