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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 120 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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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: stem · bore · rash · wound · racket · deal · fall · craft

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. rash — hasty
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rash — a series
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bore — to tire
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bore — to drill
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. fall — to drop
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. stem — to come from
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. racket — for tennis

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