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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 116 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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468
Word bank
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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fine — high quality
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. branch — a division
  7. snap — to click
  8. craft — a skill
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pitch — completely
  12. mark — a trace
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. fine — all right
  15. fork — in a road
  16. craft — boats
  17. pound — a weight
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. mark — a grade
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. fork — to eat with

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