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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: row · stem · cabinet · date · fall · stick · craft · court

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fall — to drop
  3. date — the fruit
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. court — of law
  7. fall — the season
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. craft — a skill
  11. row — to paddle
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. craft — boats
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stem — to come from

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