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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. staff — employees
  5. band — a ring
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. stem — to come from
  8. content — happy
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a committee
  11. craft — a skill
  12. staff — employees
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bass — low music
  15. band — a music group
  16. content — the amount
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. staff — a stick
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bass — the fish
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. wind — moving air
  24. band — a rubber band

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