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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — a skill
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. cell — in biology
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. kick — in football
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. stock — goods
  12. squash — to crush
  13. content — the amount
  14. craft — boats
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stock — shares
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cell — a phone
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. content — happy

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