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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. craft — a skill
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. land — a country
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. land — ground
  8. bat — the animal
  9. land — to come down
  10. craft — boats
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stem — to come from
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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