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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. board — a committee
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. board — to get on
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. stem — to come from
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. spell — letters
  13. firm — steady
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. chair — a leader
  16. firm — a company
  17. spell — a short time
  18. firm — decided
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. ground — the earth
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. spell — magic

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