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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 116 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. kid — child
  3. file — a line of people
  4. branch — a division
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. craft — boats
  7. kid — to tease
  8. file — a document
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. craft — a skill
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bark — to shout
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. squash — the sport
  22. file — a tool
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. stem — a stem cell

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