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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. last — to go on
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — boats
  6. band — a ring
  7. firm — steady
  8. press — newspapers
  9. last — finally
  10. spell — magic
  11. band — a music group
  12. spell — a short time
  13. net — in sport
  14. last — final
  15. net — for catching
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. press — to push
  19. net — after costs
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. press — a publisher
  22. spell — letters
  23. branch — a division
  24. firm — a company

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