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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. can — to be able to
  3. craft — a skill
  4. stem — to come from
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. last — final
  11. stock — shares
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. club — for dancing
  14. last — to go on
  15. root — of a plant
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. root — of a word
  21. stock — goods
  22. club — for golf
  23. last — finally
  24. craft — boats

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