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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 116 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. march — music
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rule — a law
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. march — the month
  18. board — a committee
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. craft — boats
  21. board — to get on
  22. march — the month
  23. branch — a division
  24. rule — government

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