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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · chair · branch · craft · file · bulb · fine · firm

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. firm — steady
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. branch — a division
  5. fine — high quality
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. craft — boats
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bulb — for light
  13. file — a line of people
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. firm — decided
  16. file — a tool
  17. firm — a company
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. file — a document
  20. craft — a skill
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bulb — for light
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. chair — a leader

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