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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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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: stem · sharp · mate · band · lean · ball · file · craft

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. lean — thin
  5. sharp — clever
  6. craft — boats
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. file — a document
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — a skill
  12. file — a line of people
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. ball — a great time
  16. file — a tool
  17. stem — to come from
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a ring
  20. ball — a dance
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — to breed
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. lean — to bend

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