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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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. pitch — a sales talk
  4. stem — to come from
  5. court — for sport
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. court — of law
  11. craft — boats
  12. court — of a king
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. face — to confront
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. face — part of the head
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pitch — completely
  22. face — to point toward
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. sharp — clever

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