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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: branch · nail · object · court · bulb · kid · craft · wind

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. object — an aim
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wind — moving air
  7. object — a thing
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. craft — a skill
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. branch — a division
  12. court — for sport
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bulb — for light
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. court — of a king
  19. kid — to tease
  20. court — of law
  21. craft — boats
  22. wind — moving air
  23. object — to protest
  24. bulb — for light

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