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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: craft · branch · capital · cell · hide · game · clip · safe

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. clip — for paper
  3. capital — money
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cell — in biology
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. capital — a city
  10. game — wild animals
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cell — a phone
  13. branch — a division
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. clip — a video
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. clip — to cut
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. game — a match
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. safe — a strongbox

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