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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: hand · date · cap · ball · board · craft · pound · branch

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. craft — boats
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. ball — a great time
  7. cap — a lid
  8. board — to get on
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cap — of ice
  11. hand — in cards
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. date — the fruit
  14. cap — a hat
  15. ball — a dance
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. craft — a skill
  19. hand — help
  20. pound — a weight
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. board — a committee
  24. pound — to hit hard

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