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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · kid · craft · deal · branch · board

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — the arms race
  3. branch — a division
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — to get on
  8. race — humankind
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. kid — to tease
  13. craft — a skill
  14. kid — child
  15. deal — to handle
  16. craft — boats
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. craft — a handicraft

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