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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. spell — letters
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. rock — music
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. branch — a division
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. spell — a short time
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. craft — boats
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bark — to shout
  19. craft — a skill
  20. spell — magic
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. branch — of a tree

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