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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. ground — crushed
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. branch — a division
  5. rest — what's left
  6. file — a document
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. file — a line of people
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. ground — a position
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. file — a tool
  17. dip — to sink
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. rest — a break
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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