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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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Word bank
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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: court · craft · chip · root · saw · deal · branch · wound

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. chip — to eat
  3. court — of a king
  4. deal — to handle
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chip — for betting
  9. court — of law
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. root — the cause
  12. craft — a skill
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wound — an injury
  15. root — of a plant
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. branch — a division
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. root — of a word

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