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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.

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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: mate · craft · chair · pound · current · bore · file · stem

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. file — a tool
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. current — of water
  6. bore — to drill
  7. file — a document
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — electric
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a leader
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. craft — boats
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. mate — to breed
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pound — a weight
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. craft — a skill

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