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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: ball · craft · deal · kid · branch · trunk · pop · spell

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. pop — to visit
  10. kid — child
  11. branch — a division
  12. ball — a great time
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. deal — to handle
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pop — music
  19. spell — a short time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pop — soda
  24. craft — a skill

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