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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.

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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 · fan · club · scale · branch · bark · deal · court

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. court — of law
  5. bark — to shout
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. branch — a division
  9. club — a group
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. club — for dancing
  12. court — of a king
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. craft — boats
  17. scale — in music
  18. club — for golf
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. court — for sport
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. deal — to handle
  24. craft — a skill

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