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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · hand · saw · lash · craft · stem · press · court

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. court — of a king
  3. press — to push
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mate — to breed
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. court — of law
  11. saw — the tool
  12. press — newspapers
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. mate — a partner
  15. hand — help
  16. saw — the tool
  17. court — for sport
  18. hand — in cards
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mate — a friend
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. press — a publisher

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