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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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. stock — goods
  6. spring — the season
  7. vault — a safe
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. craft — boats
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. branch — a division
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. stock — shares
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spring — of water
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bat — the animal
  24. spring — a coil

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