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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — boats
  3. wake — a trail
  4. root — the cause
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. suit — in cards
  7. spring — of water
  8. rest — what's left
  9. suit — clothes
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — the season
  12. craft — a skill
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rest — what's left
  15. suit — to fit
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rest — a break
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. rash — hasty
  20. root — of a word
  21. rash — a series
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. root — of a plant
  24. straw — a straw man

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