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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. shower — to wash
  3. staff — a stick
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. craft — boats
  8. last — to go on
  9. bark — to shout
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. file — a document
  12. last — finally
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. last — final
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. staff — employees
  19. shower — rain
  20. staff — employees
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. stem — to come from
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. stand — to bear

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