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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. roll — a cake
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bound — tied together
  9. court — of law
  10. press — newspapers
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pound — a weight
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. press — to push
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. roll — a list
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bound — certain
  20. press — a publisher
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pound — for dogs

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