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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: club · nail · field · craft · sharp · branch · mate · fan

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. field — farmland
  4. mate — a friend
  5. field — for sport
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a skill
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. mate — to breed
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. branch — a division
  14. club — a group
  15. field — a subject
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — for golf
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mate — a partner

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