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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: lie · craft · calf · shower · ball · branch · game · ruler

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. game — wild animals
  6. shower — rain
  7. lie — to recline
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. craft — a skill
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. branch — a division

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