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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. mate — to breed
  3. firm — decided
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. file — a line of people
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. hand — in cards
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mate — a friend
  12. file — a tool
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bank — for money
  15. stem — to come from
  16. firm — a company
  17. hand — help
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. file — a document
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. firm — steady
  23. mate — a partner
  24. saw — the tool

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