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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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Word bank
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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. scale — size or range
  3. can — to be able to
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. can — a tin
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. craft — a skill
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. craft — boats
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. can — a tin
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. kid — to tease
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. plane — a tool
  24. scale — in music

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