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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: saw · branch · craft · kick · wave · cap · snap · net

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cap — of ice
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. craft — a skill
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. net — after costs
  15. snap — to click
  16. branch — a division
  17. kick — in football
  18. cap — a hat
  19. craft — boats
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. cap — a lid

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