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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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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: bore · branch · wound · craft · cap · object · content · last

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bore — to drill
  3. object — to protest
  4. last — final
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bore — to tire
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. cap — a lid
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. content — happy
  12. craft — boats
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wound — an injury
  15. object — an aim
  16. craft — a skill
  17. cap — of ice
  18. branch — a division
  19. last — to go on
  20. content — the amount
  21. object — a thing
  22. last — finally
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cap — a hat

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