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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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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: craft · bear · straw · charge · sharp · bore · stem · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bear — the animal
  6. charge — a price
  7. craft — boats
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bat — the animal
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bear — the animal
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. charge — in control
  16. craft — a skill
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. stem — of a plant

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