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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.

Make a worksheet

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: craft · mouse · date · kick · stem · squash · bay · mine

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. kick — in football
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. craft — boats
  18. date — the fruit
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. craft — a skill
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. stem — a stem cell

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