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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. craft — boats
  5. field — for sport
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. key — the most important part
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. field — a subject
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. branch — a division
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. wind — moving air
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wind — moving air
  24. field — farmland

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