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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. race — a contest
  4. deal — to handle
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bank — of a river
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rock — music
  9. race — humankind
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. craft — boats
  14. bank — for money
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wake — a trail
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — the cause
  20. wind — moving air
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bank — for money
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. rock — a stone

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