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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 · nail · march · branch · tube · stem · toast · chest

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. craft — a skill
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. march — the month
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. branch — a division
  9. march — the month
  10. chest — a box
  11. stem — to come from
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. craft — boats
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — a container
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. toast — bread
  20. march — music
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. chest — of your body

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