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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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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: branch · kick · craft · net · ruler · pitcher · fall · tube

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. branch — a division
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. net — after costs
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. net — in sport
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. kick — in football
  10. fall — to drop
  11. craft — a skill
  12. fall — the season
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. fall — to drop
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. tube — a container
  18. net — for catching
  19. craft — boats
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. branch — of a tree

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