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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wake — a trail
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. tear — to rip
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. tear — from crying
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. craft — a skill
  23. branch — a division
  24. stem — to come from

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