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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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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. snap — to click
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. kid — child
  9. pass — a permit
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. craft — a skill
  17. craft — boats
  18. straw — dry grass

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