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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. stem — to come from
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. craft — a skill
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. track — a song
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. date — the fruit
  13. content — happy
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. track — a path
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. craft — boats
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. content — the amount
  24. track — to keep track

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