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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: craft · branch · vault · rash · court · present · mug · tube

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mug — a cup
  3. tube — the underground
  4. court — of law
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. present — the time now
  7. craft — a skill
  8. court — of a king
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. court — for sport
  11. present — a gift
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. present — there
  17. branch — a division
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. mug — a face
  20. vault — a safe
  21. tube — a container
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mug — to rob

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