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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mine — for digging
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. court — of a king
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. wound — an injury

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