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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. suit — clothes
  5. stem — to come from
  6. mine — for digging
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. swing — to play on
  18. craft — boats
  19. kid — child
  20. hand — help
  21. swing — in golf
  22. kid — to tease
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. swing — music

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