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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 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. clip — for paper
  5. game — a match
  6. clip — a video
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mine — for digging
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bound — obliged
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bore — to tire
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. fall — the season
  20. craft — boats
  21. clip — to cut
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bound — certain
  24. mine — belonging to me

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