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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. stock — shares
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. firm — decided
  10. stem — to come from
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pitch — completely
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. chest — a box
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — steady
  21. mine — for digging
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. stock — goods
  24. craft — a skill

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