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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. craft — a skill
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wound — an injury
  6. branch — a division
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. charge — electricity
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mark — a trace
  15. charge — a price
  16. mark — a grade
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — the amount
  23. charge — in control
  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