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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. craft — boats
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rest — what's left
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wind — moving air
  9. roll — a cake
  10. rest — a break
  11. wind — moving air
  12. object — an aim
  13. chest — of your body
  14. object — to protest
  15. craft — a skill
  16. chest — a box
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. roll — a list
  20. stem — to come from
  21. chest — of your body
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. stem — a stem cell

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