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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 116 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: mine · mouse · stem · mug · bat · row · last · craft

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. row — a line
  7. last — final
  8. mine — for digging
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mug — to rob
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mug — a face
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. row — to paddle
  21. craft — boats
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bat — the animal

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