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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · racket · present · wind · stem · mine

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. mine — for digging
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — the time now
  8. craft — a skill
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. present — there
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stem — to come from

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