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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. craft — a skill
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. craft — boats
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. branch — a division
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. land — ground
  24. saw — the tool

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