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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bank — for money
  5. last — to go on
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. last — finally
  8. file — a line of people
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. track — a song
  11. last — final
  12. bank — of a river
  13. track — to keep track
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. file — a tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. file — a document
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mark — a trace
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bank — for money
  24. track — a path

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