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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 116 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: swing · shower · face · branch · cabinet · craft · cell · wind

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. branch — a division
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. swing — in golf
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. wind — moving air
  9. face — part of the head
  10. shower — rain
  11. face — to point toward
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wind — moving air
  15. craft — a skill
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. face — to confront
  21. craft — boats
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. swing — music

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