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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. firm — steady
  3. craft — a skill
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. firm — a company
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. craft — boats
  11. perch — the fish
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. band — a music group
  14. last — to go on
  15. rush — hurry
  16. last — final
  17. band — a ring
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. firm — decided
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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