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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: game · dip · lie · branch · bear · trunk · spring · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. lie — to recline
  5. spring — of water
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. branch — a division
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bear — the animal
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. craft — boats
  16. game — wild animals
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bear — the animal
  20. game — a match
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. spring — the season
  24. dip — to sink

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