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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cell — in biology
  7. court — of a king
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. can — a tin
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. can — a tin
  12. stem — to come from
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. date — the fruit
  18. can — to be able to
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. deal — to handle
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. cell — a phone

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