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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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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: pitcher · row · current · bear · stem · craft · land · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — to come from
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. craft — a skill
  7. row — a line
  8. bear — the animal
  9. craft — boats
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. land — ground
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. land — to come down
  17. cap — of ice
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. current — electric
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. land — a country

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