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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: mug · craft · tear · swing · branch · cabinet · court · key

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. tear — from crying
  3. branch — a division
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mug — a face
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. court — for sport
  9. craft — boats
  10. key — in music
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. swing — to play on
  13. key — the most important part
  14. swing — music
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. craft — a skill
  20. key — for a lock
  21. court — of law
  22. swing — in golf
  23. mug — to rob
  24. tear — from crying

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