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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. hand — help
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. board — to get on
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wake — a trail
  12. branch — a division
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bore — to drill
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. spell — letters
  22. craft — boats
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. board — a committee

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