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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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. craft — boats
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fall — to drop
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bat — the animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. staff — employees
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. staff — employees
  17. shower — rain
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pit — in a race
  20. stem — to come from
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. fall — the season
  24. snap — to click

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