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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. board — a committee
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. hand — in cards
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. craft — a skill
  9. board — to get on
  10. wax — to grow
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pit — in a race
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. suit — clothes
  17. craft — boats
  18. pit — a hole
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. suit — in cards
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. hand — help
  23. branch — a division
  24. suit — to fit

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