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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: kick · court · roll · craft · fine · branch · stem · kid

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. craft — a skill
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. court — of law
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. roll — a list
  9. branch — a division
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. court — of a king
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. fine — all right
  15. kid — child
  16. stem — to come from
  17. kick — in football
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — to tease
  21. roll — a cake
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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