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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: stick · bat · content · leaves · stand · key · tear · craft

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. craft — a skill
  5. tear — to rip
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. craft — boats
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tear — from crying
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. content — happy
  15. key — the most important part
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. tear — from crying
  19. content — the amount
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — to bear
  24. craft — a handicraft

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