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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: arm · kid · present · craft · mark · bass · bark · stem

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. present — the time now
  3. mark — a grade
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bark — to shout
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. present — a gift
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bass — low music
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. craft — boats
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. stem — to come from
  24. present — there

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