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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: craft · rock · sharp · land · cold · stem · pass · date

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — a skill
  3. land — to come down
  4. cold — not warm
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pass — a permit
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. stem — to come from
  10. date — the fruit
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rock — music
  16. land — ground
  17. cold — an illness
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. land — a country
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rock — a stone
  24. craft — boats

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