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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. saw — the tool
  4. can — to be able to
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. key — in music
  7. craft — a skill
  8. can — a tin
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. can — a tin
  12. saw — the tool
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. snap — to click
  15. key — the most important part
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. band — a ring
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. band — a music group
  21. stem — to come from
  22. land — a country
  23. key — for a lock
  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