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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 120 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. stock — shares
  3. prune — to trim
  4. field — for sport
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ball — a dance
  7. craft — a skill
  8. prune — to trim
  9. craft — boats
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. branch — a division
  14. field — a subject
  15. ball — a great time
  16. saw — the tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. field — farmland
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. stock — goods
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. ball — a round shape

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