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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. pitch — completely
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mate — to breed
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. deal — an agreement
  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