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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: object · branch · court · craft · cabinet · face · hand · land

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. hand — in cards
  6. land — ground
  7. face — to confront
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. face — to point toward
  10. branch — a division
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. court — of law
  15. land — a country
  16. craft — a skill
  17. object — a thing
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. land — to come down
  20. face — part of the head
  21. craft — boats
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — an aim

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