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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bound — certain
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. craft — boats
  7. mate — a friend
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. current — of water
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. deal — to handle
  12. row — to paddle
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — electric
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bound — obliged
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. row — a line
  23. mate — to breed
  24. wave — with your hand

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