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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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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 · ruler · row · branch · temple · wind · last · net

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. wind — moving air
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. craft — a skill
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. net — after costs
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. last — final
  17. net — for catching
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a line
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. craft — boats
  23. net — in sport
  24. wind — moving air

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