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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. craft — boats
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. stock — shares
  7. craft — a skill
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. capital — money
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wound — an injury
  16. branch — a division
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. rush — hurry
  20. ball — a dance
  21. capital — a city
  22. ball — a great time
  23. stock — goods
  24. pass — a permit

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