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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: craft · chest · tube · deal · fine · ball · branch · squash

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. tube — a container
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. ball — a dance
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — boats
  11. tube — the underground
  12. chest — a box
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. fine — all right
  16. deal — to handle
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. squash — to crush
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. ball — a great time
  22. branch — a division
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. squash — the sport

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