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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: land · cap · can · stem · wind · mate · prune · craft

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. can — a tin
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cap — a lid
  6. craft — a skill
  7. can — a tin
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. land — to come down
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cap — a hat
  14. craft — boats
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. land — ground
  18. mate — a partner
  19. can — to be able to
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cap — of ice
  23. land — a country
  24. mate — a friend

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