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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: file · branch · craft · straw · bound · field · wound · stick

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. field — a subject
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. file — a tool
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. craft — boats
  11. bound — certain
  12. branch — a division
  13. file — a line of people
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wound — an injury
  17. field — for sport
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wound — an injury
  22. field — farmland
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. file — a document

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