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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. branch — a division
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. file — a tool
  6. track — a song
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. file — a line of people
  9. craft — boats
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bat — the animal
  13. track — a path
  14. craft — a skill
  15. file — a document
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rock — a stone
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rock — music
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bat — for baseball

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