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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bound — tied together
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. root — of a word
  5. bound — certain
  6. track — a path
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. track — to keep track
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. track — a song
  11. stock — goods
  12. root — the cause
  13. stock — shares
  14. board — to get on
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bound — obliged
  17. craft — boats
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. board — a committee
  22. craft — a skill
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. stock — a soup base

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