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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. craft — boats
  5. march — music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mine — for digging
  24. craft — a handicraft

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