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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bass — low music
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bass — the fish
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. court — for sport
  18. bore — to drill
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. craft — a skill
  23. file — a document
  24. bass — the instrument

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