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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — tied together
  3. can — a tin
  4. wound — an injury
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. craft — boats
  8. bore — to drill
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bound — certain
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wound — an injury
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. branch — a division
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. can — a tin
  19. craft — a skill
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bore — gave birth

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