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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — the tool
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lean — thin
  10. craft — boats
  11. lean — to bend
  12. spring — the season
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. craft — a skill
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fork — in a road
  19. drill — a practice
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. snap — to click

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