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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · craft · stick · court · clip · chest · jam · mug

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mug — to rob
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. craft — a skill
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. mug — a face
  9. clip — to cut
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. mug — a cup
  12. branch — a division
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chest — a box
  15. court — of a king
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. chest — of your body
  20. clip — a video
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. craft — boats

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