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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. mine — for digging
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. saw — the tool
  7. craft — boats
  8. chest — a box
  9. board — a committee
  10. shower — rain
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. branch — a division
  14. board — to get on
  15. staff — employees
  16. shower — to wash
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. saw — the tool

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