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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. craft — boats
  3. branch — a division
  4. craft — a skill
  5. court — for sport
  6. club — for golf
  7. stand — to bear
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. court — of a king
  11. staff — employees
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. court — of law
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. staff — employees
  20. chest — a box
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for dancing
  24. staff — a stick

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