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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. craft — boats
  3. lean — thin
  4. craft — a skill
  5. chip — for betting
  6. game — a match
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pit — a hole
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pit — in a race
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chip — to eat
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. stem — of a plant

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