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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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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: bank · rest · lean · craft · stem · club · wound · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  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. pit — in a race
  2. club — for golf
  3. lean — thin
  4. pit — a hole
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. club — a group
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. rest — what's left
  10. craft — a skill
  11. rest — a break
  12. lean — to bend
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. wound — an injury
  18. craft — boats
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bank — for money
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. rest — what's left
  23. craft — a handicraft
  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