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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. craft — boats
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. root — of a plant
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. current — happening now
  17. root — the cause
  18. craft — a handicraft

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