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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 120 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. swing — to play on
  4. band — a music group
  5. net — for catching
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. net — after costs
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. band — a ring
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. swing — in golf
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. net — in sport
  21. craft — boats
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. swing — music
  24. craft — a handicraft

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