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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.

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: cold · saw · craft · branch · snap · row · season · fan

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. row — to paddle
  4. cold — an illness
  5. row — a line
  6. craft — boats
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. saw — the tool
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cold — not warm
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. saw — the tool
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. craft — a skill
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. season — in sport
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. season — of the year
  24. fan — to cool the air

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