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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. spring — of water
  9. rest — a break
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. craft — boats
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. land — ground
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. land — a country
  19. pitch — completely
  20. spring — the season
  21. branch — a division
  22. bulb — for light
  23. land — to come down
  24. pitch — a sales talk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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