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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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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: cell · wind · branch · hide · kid · spell · craft · bulb

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spell — magic
  5. wind — moving air
  6. branch — a division
  7. wind — moving air
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cell — in biology
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bulb — for light
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. cell — a phone
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spell — letters
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. kid — to tease
  18. spell — a short time
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. craft — boats
  24. hide — to keep secret

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