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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. branch — a division
  5. craft — boats
  6. stand — to bear
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. tear — from crying
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. snap — to click
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pass — a permit
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. shower — rain
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stem — to come from
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. tear — to rip
  24. stand — on your feet

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