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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: present · craft · branch · land · root · hand · clip · saw

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. hand — in cards
  3. clip — a video
  4. saw — the tool
  5. root — the cause
  6. land — a country
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. branch — a division
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — the time now
  11. land — to come down
  12. clip — for paper
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. root — of a plant
  15. land — ground
  16. saw — the tool
  17. hand — help
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. craft — a skill
  20. present — there
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. craft — boats
  24. clip — to cut

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