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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. march — the month
  3. firm — steady
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. chair — a leader
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. march — music
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cell — in biology
  12. lie — to recline
  13. cell — a phone
  14. firm — a company
  15. march — the month
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. firm — decided
  19. craft — boats
  20. rush — hurry
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. craft — a skill
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. branch — a division

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