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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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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. date — the fruit
  3. root — of a word
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. fall — to drop
  10. can — a tin
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. fall — the season
  13. root — the cause
  14. craft — boats
  15. can — to be able to
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. root — of a plant
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. can — a tin
  24. fall — to drop

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