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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: rash · sharp · staff · bound · craft · stem · bark · lie

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bound — obliged
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. staff — employees
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. rash — a series
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bark — to shout
  9. craft — boats
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rash — hasty
  14. lie — to recline
  15. staff — employees
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bound — tied together
  18. sharp — clever
  19. staff — a stick
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bound — certain

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