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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. face — to confront
  3. root — the cause
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. season — in sport
  8. board — to get on
  9. craft — a skill
  10. face — to point toward
  11. root — of a word
  12. row — to paddle
  13. root — of a plant
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. face — part of the head
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. dip — to sink
  21. board — a committee
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. fork — in a road

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