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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. branch — a division
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. tube — the underground
  7. net — for catching
  8. pass — a permit
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. craft — a skill
  11. tube — a container
  12. net — after costs
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. net — in sport
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — a cake
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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