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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. fall — the season
  3. march — the month
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stock — goods
  6. net — in sport
  7. stem — to come from
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. net — after costs
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. net — for catching
  12. march — the month
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. craft — boats
  15. march — music
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. craft — a skill
  18. stock — shares
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. mine — for digging
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stem — of a plant

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