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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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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: mine · swing · craft · nail · game · branch · stem · spell

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mine — for digging
  3. spell — a short time
  4. stem — to come from
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. branch — a division
  8. craft — a skill
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. game — a match
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. swing — in golf
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. swing — to play on
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. swing — music
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. craft — boats
  23. game — wild animals
  24. stem — of a plant

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