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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. chest — a box
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. object — to protest
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. craft — a skill
  10. stem — to come from
  11. face — to point toward
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bulb — for light
  14. face — to confront
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bulb — for light
  17. object — an aim
  18. craft — boats
  19. object — a thing
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hand — help
  24. face — part of the head

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