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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: deal · branch · prune · arm · fine · toast · field · craft

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. field — for sport
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a skill
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. field — a subject
  12. fine — high quality
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. fine — all right
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. deal — to handle
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — farmland
  24. prune — to trim

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