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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. shower — rain
  5. craft — boats
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — music
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fork — in a road
  12. kid — child
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. stem — to come from
  15. foot — a measure
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. kid — to tease
  18. land — ground
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. swing — in golf
  23. craft — a skill
  24. shower — to wash

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