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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 120 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: club · mug · branch · spring · stand · tube · saw · craft

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. saw — the tool
  3. club — for golf
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. mug — a cup
  8. craft — a skill
  9. spring — the season
  10. saw — the tool
  11. craft — boats
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. club — for dancing
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. mug — a face
  17. branch — a division
  18. stand — to bear
  19. spring — a coil
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. tube — the underground
  22. spring — of water
  23. mug — to rob
  24. club — a group

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