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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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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: sharp · stem · craft · season · bowl · hand · present · chest

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. present — a gift
  3. chest — a box
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. chest — of your body
  15. sharp — clever
  16. present — there
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. hand — help
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. present — the time now
  22. hand — in cards
  23. stem — to come from
  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