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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 120 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. craft — a skill
  3. chest — a box
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stem — to come from
  9. craft — boats
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rash — a series
  19. bank — for money
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rash — hasty
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. stand — for spectators

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