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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · last · bowl · arm · chair · branch · hand · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. hand — help
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. last — final
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. ball — a dance
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. last — finally
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. craft — boats
  20. last — to go on
  21. branch — a division
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. arm — part of the body

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