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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rash — hasty
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mark — a grade
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stem — to come from
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. rash — a series
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. craft — boats

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