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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rash — a series
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. field — a subject
  10. rush — hurry
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. net — after costs
  14. craft — boats
  15. field — for sport
  16. key — in music
  17. bound — obliged
  18. net — in sport
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. field — farmland
  21. key — the most important part
  22. net — for catching
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bound — certain

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