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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 · bat · ruler · branch · foot · leaves · snap · rock

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. rock — music
  3. snap — to click
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. craft — boats
  6. foot — a measure
  7. rock — a stone
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bat — the animal
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bat — for baseball

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