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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: craft · plane · court · spring · charge · hand · lean · branch

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. court — of law
  4. charge — in control
  5. spring — the season
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. branch — a division
  8. charge — a price
  9. craft — boats
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. court — of a king
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. charge — electricity
  15. hand — help
  16. lean — to bend
  17. plane — a tool
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. spring — a coil
  21. craft — a skill
  22. hand — in cards
  23. court — for sport
  24. spring — of water

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