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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: firm · pit · pound · stem · wax · craft · last · bark

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. firm — decided
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — a weight
  9. firm — steady
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pit — in a race
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bark — to shout
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. firm — a company
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pit — a hole

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