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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 120 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
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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: hand · row · cabinet · spring · craft · net · stem · hide

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. net — after costs
  6. hand — help
  7. craft — boats
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. spring — the season
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. craft — a skill
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. net — for catching
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spring — of water
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. net — in sport

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