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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. prune — to trim
  5. craft — boats
  6. root — the cause
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. cold — an illness
  12. craft — a skill
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a dance
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. root — of a plant
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rock — music
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rock — a stone
  24. root — of a word

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