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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. craft — a skill
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rock — music
  5. march — music
  6. content — the amount
  7. net — after costs
  8. craft — boats
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. net — for catching
  11. march — the month
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. net — in sport
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — for golf
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. club — a group
  19. content — happy
  20. branch — a division
  21. march — the month
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a car

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