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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: wake · arm · bound · craft · shower · saw · stem · spell

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bound — obliged
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. craft — a skill
  8. shower — rain
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. saw — the tool
  15. spell — letters
  16. stem — to come from
  17. spell — a short time
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spell — magic
  22. shower — to wash
  23. craft — boats
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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