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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 116 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: row · craft · staff · clip · branch · cabinet · wax · mark

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. clip — for paper
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. staff — employees
  5. craft — boats
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wax — to grow
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mark — a grade
  13. row — to paddle
  14. craft — a skill
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. clip — a video
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. row — a line
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. staff — a stick

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