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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. root — of a plant
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. root — the cause
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. rock — a stone
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pass — a permit
  14. last — final
  15. prune — to trim
  16. craft — a skill
  17. last — finally
  18. cold — not warm
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. root — of a word
  21. craft — boats
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. last — to go on

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