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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: branch · craft · cabinet · row · pound · lie · kid · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. craft — boats
  6. kid — child
  7. craft — a skill
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — a weight
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. hand — in cards
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. row — a line
  19. branch — a division
  20. lie — to recline
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cabinet — ministers

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