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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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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: craft · mark · branch · cell · spell · snap · rule · perch

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mark — a grade
  6. spell — magic
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rule — a law
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. craft — a skill
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. snap — to click
  14. mark — a trace
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. branch — a division
  17. perch — the fish
  18. spell — letters
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. cell — a phone
  22. rule — government
  23. spell — a short time
  24. branch — of a bank

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