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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: saw · craft · net · patient · leaves · pitcher · swing · branch

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. net — after costs
  3. swing — to play on
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. saw — the tool
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. craft — a skill
  17. net — in sport
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. swing — music
  21. craft — boats
  22. net — for catching
  23. branch — a division
  24. swing — in golf

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