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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: bear · bound · chest · rash · toast · cap · stem · craft

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — boats
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bound — obliged
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cap — of ice
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bound — certain
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rash — a series
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chest — a box
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bound — tied together
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. toast — bread

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