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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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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: clip · stem · bore · mouse · craft · court · bear · racket

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. court — of a king
  4. clip — to cut
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bore — to drill
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. court — for sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. clip — a video
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — boats
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. court — of law
  24. stem — of a plant

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