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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. firm — decided
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. firm — a company
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. ground — the earth
  13. craft — a skill
  14. stem — to come from
  15. firm — steady
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ground — a position
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wave — with your hand

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