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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. field — farmland
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. craft — boats
  7. dip — to sink
  8. net — in sport
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. field — for sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. craft — a skill
  16. field — a subject
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. net — after costs
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. branch — a division
  24. dip — to dunk

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