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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. root — the cause
  6. rush — hurry
  7. craft — a skill
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. root — of a plant
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. perch — the fish
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. prune — to trim
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mine — for digging
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. root — of a word
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. craft — boats
  24. bowl — a football final

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