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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · branch · dip · fan · cell · bore · content · firm

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. branch — a division
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. craft — a skill
  12. firm — decided
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. firm — a company
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. content — the amount
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. firm — steady
  21. cell — in biology
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. dip — to sink
  24. craft — boats

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