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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 120 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: land · content · mine · lean · dip · cap · craft · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. craft — a skill
  3. dip — to sink
  4. land — ground
  5. lean — thin
  6. cap — a hat
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. content — happy
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mine — for digging
  13. content — the amount
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. land — a country
  19. craft — boats
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cap — a lid
  22. land — to come down
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. dip — to dunk

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