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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: saw · kid · craft · stem · prune · hide · bark · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bark — to shout
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. toast — bread
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. stem — to come from
  13. kid — to tease
  14. craft — a skill
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. craft — boats
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  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