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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: pit · craft · ruler · field · cell · hide · branch · wave

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. branch — a division
  8. field — farmland
  9. cell — a phone
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. field — for sport
  12. cell — in biology
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. field — a subject
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pit — a hole
  20. craft — boats
  21. pit — in a race
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. ruler — for measuring

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