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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: racket · deal · mine · cabinet · craft · stem · hand · bass

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bass — low music
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. mine — for digging
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. craft — boats
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bass — the fish
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mine — an explosive

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