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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: craft · content · tear · kid · branch · sharp · dip · leaves

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. kid — to tease
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. craft — boats
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. dip — to sink
  15. branch — a division
  16. content — the amount
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. content — happy
  20. tear — from crying
  21. craft — a skill
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — child
  24. sharp — clever

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