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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 120 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tube — the underground
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. spring — a coil
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. tube — a container
  8. saw — the tool
  9. spring — of water
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. spring — the season
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. fork — in a road
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. content — happy
  24. craft — a skill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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