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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. row — a line
  4. date — the fruit
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bank — for money
  11. root — the cause
  12. bank — of a river
  13. lean — thin
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bank — for money
  17. craft — a skill
  18. root — of a word
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. root — of a plant
  21. lean — to bend
  22. pit — a hole
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pit — in a race

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