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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: stem · board · bear · snap · craft · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. snap — to click
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. stem — to come from
  8. board — a committee
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. board — to get on
  12. craft — boats
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bear — the animal
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bear — the animal

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