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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: wind · pit · hand · wound · craft · branch · pitcher · bay

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. craft — a skill
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pit — in a race
  12. craft — boats
  13. branch — a division
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pit — a hole
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. branch — of a tree

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