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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: craft · leaves · present · cell · branch · content · snap · pit

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. present — a gift
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. branch — a division
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. present — there
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. pit — a hole
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. cell — in biology
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. craft — boats
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. present — the time now
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. pit — in a race
  22. cell — a phone
  23. craft — a skill
  24. snap — to click

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