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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: mine · kick · branch · craft · fork · swing · cue · wind

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. craft — boats
  5. cue — a hint
  6. craft — a skill
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. cue — for pool
  10. swing — in golf
  11. fork — in a road
  12. wind — moving air
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. cue — a signal
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wind — moving air
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. swing — music
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. kick — in football
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. mine — an explosive

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