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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 120 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. craft — a skill
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. field — a subject
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. craft — boats
  9. field — for sport
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — to push
  12. field — farmland
  13. rash — a series
  14. stand — to bear
  15. press — newspapers
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. branch — a division
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — hasty

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