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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 120 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. craft — a skill
  5. suit — to fit
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. clip — to cut
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. craft — boats
  10. suit — in cards
  11. clip — for paper
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. clip — a video
  15. stock — shares
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. row — a line
  20. suit — clothes
  21. stock — goods
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. row — to paddle
  24. craft — a handicraft

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