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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. staff — employees
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. dip — to sink
  9. craft — a skill
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. track — to keep track
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. staff — a stick
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. row — to paddle
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. staff — employees
  19. row — a line
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. track — a path
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. track — a song

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