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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · snap · bulb · bear · branch · court · trunk · mine

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. court — of a king
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bear — the animal
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mine — for digging
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bear — the animal
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. craft — boats

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