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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: stem · craft · stock · mouse · game · kid · file · wound

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. wound — an injury
  4. game — wild animals
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. file — a document
  7. wound — an injury
  8. file — a line of people
  9. game — a match
  10. stock — shares
  11. stem — to come from
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stock — goods
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. craft — boats
  24. stem — a stem cell

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