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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. press — to push
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. press — a publisher
  5. craft — a skill
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cell — a phone
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stem — to come from
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. perch — the fish
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mate — a partner
  24. root — of a plant

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