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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. row — a line
  5. row — to paddle
  6. foot — a measure
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. last — final
  11. date — the fruit
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. craft — a skill
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. craft — a handicraft

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