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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. drill — army training
  4. rest — a break
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. scale — in music
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. net — in sport
  9. scale — size or range
  10. rest — what's left
  11. craft — boats
  12. rest — what's left
  13. craft — a skill
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. net — after costs
  16. rush — hurry
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. net — for catching
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. drill — the tool
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. craft — a handicraft

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