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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: wind · pit · club · craft · foot · branch · trunk · net

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pit — in a race
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. net — for catching
  5. branch — a division
  6. club — for golf
  7. net — in sport
  8. craft — boats
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. foot — a measure
  11. net — after costs
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wind — moving air
  18. club — for dancing
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. club — a group
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving 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