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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. branch — a division
  3. net — after costs
  4. kid — child
  5. season — in sport
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. season — of the year
  9. hand — in cards
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bore — to drill
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. hand — help
  16. bore — to tire
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. net — in sport
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. craft — boats
  21. net — for catching
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. kid — to tease

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