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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — boats
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. perch — the fish
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. file — a line of people
  10. branch — a division
  11. net — after costs
  12. file — a document
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. file — a tool
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. squash — the sport
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. squash — to crush
  22. deal — to handle
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. net — in sport

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