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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. pit — in a race
  4. land — ground
  5. bank — for money
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. craft — a skill
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wake — a trail
  18. land — a country
  19. squash — the sport
  20. hand — in cards
  21. land — to come down
  22. bank — for money
  23. craft — boats
  24. hand — help

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