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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 120 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. spell — magic
  7. lean — to bend
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. chip — to eat
  10. spell — a short time
  11. chip — for betting
  12. craft — boats
  13. lean — thin
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. stem — to come from
  19. spell — letters
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — child
  24. chip — in a computer

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