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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wake — a trail
  6. rock — music
  7. net — after costs
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. net — in sport
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pop — soda
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pop — music
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. craft — boats
  22. rock — a stone
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. net — for catching

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