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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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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: cold · pound · court · stem · mouse · craft · arm · hide

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. cold — not warm
  4. craft — boats
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pound — a weight
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. court — for sport
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stem — to come from
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. court — of law
  24. court — of a king

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