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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. net — for catching
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mark — a trace
  5. game — a match
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. prune — to trim
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. prune — to trim
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. craft — boats
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. net — after costs
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. craft — a skill
  22. net — in sport
  23. branch — a division
  24. game — a kind of play

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