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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 · branch · cabinet · wound · rash · swing · bark · lean

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. craft — boats
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bark — to shout
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wound — an injury
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rash — hasty
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. craft — a skill
  18. lean — to bend
  19. swing — music
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rash — a series
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. lean — thin

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