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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 120 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 · rash · bat · branch · present · spring · calf · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. present — the time now
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cap — a hat
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. cap — of ice
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. present — a gift
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rash — a series
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rash — hasty
  17. spring — the season
  18. present — there
  19. craft — boats
  20. branch — a division
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bat — the animal
  23. spring — of water
  24. rash — on the skin

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