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

Word bank: leaves · mouse · craft · pit · tear · march · net · stick

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. tear — from crying
  15. craft — boats
  16. net — after costs
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. craft — a skill
  21. pit — a hole
  22. march — the month
  23. pit — in a race
  24. net — for catching

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