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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 · court · stem · field · bear · branch · wound · wind

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wound — an injury
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. court — of law
  5. field — farmland
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bear — the animal
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wind — moving air
  12. court — of a king
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. court — for sport
  16. field — for sport
  17. stem — to come from
  18. field — a subject
  19. wound — an injury
  20. branch — a division
  21. craft — boats
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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