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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: lean · spell · file · court · net · kid · craft · stem

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. file — a document
  3. stem — to come from
  4. spell — magic
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. kid — child
  7. lean — to bend
  8. court — of a king
  9. lean — thin
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. kid — to tease
  15. court — of law
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. file — a line of people
  18. craft — boats
  19. spell — letters
  20. file — a tool
  21. spell — a short time
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. net — after costs
  24. court — for sport

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