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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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mate — to breed
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pass — a permit
  9. stem — to come from
  10. last — to go on
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rest — a break
  14. prune — to trim
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. last — finally
  17. rest — what's left
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. last — final
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mate — a friend

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