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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. stem — to come from
  3. craft — boats
  4. chest — of your body
  5. craft — a skill
  6. mark — a grade
  7. fine — all right
  8. branch — a division
  9. fine — high quality
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. date — the fruit
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. mark — a trace
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stem — a stem cell

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