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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. kid — to tease
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. bat — the animal
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. row — a line
  10. kid — child
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. craft — boats
  13. row — to paddle
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pitcher — a jug

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