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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
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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: field · kid · date · key · cue · ball · craft · branch

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. ball — a great time
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. key — the most important part
  6. field — a subject
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. field — farmland
  9. cue — for pool
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. branch — a division
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cue — a signal
  14. key — for a lock
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. date — the fruit
  18. kid — child
  19. cue — a hint
  20. kid — to tease
  21. field — for sport
  22. craft — a skill
  23. key — in music
  24. ball — a dance

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