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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.

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: branch · straw · saw · craft · ball · bat · cell · patient

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bat — the animal
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — a phone
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. craft — a skill
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. branch — a division
  15. ball — a dance
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. saw — the tool
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. craft — boats

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