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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 120 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rest — a break
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rest — what's left
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. spell — letters
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wound — an injury
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. craft — boats
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. spell — magic
  22. branch — a division
  23. craft — a skill
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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