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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wind — moving air
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. root — of a word
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cap — a hat
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. craft — a skill
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wind — moving air
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mine — for digging
  24. root — the cause

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