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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rash — hasty
  3. land — a country
  4. prune — to trim
  5. craft — a skill
  6. net — for catching
  7. root — of a plant
  8. net — in sport
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rash — a series
  11. root — the cause
  12. land — to come down
  13. root — of a word
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. craft — boats
  17. prune — to trim
  18. net — after costs
  19. shower — rain
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. land — ground
  22. wind — moving air
  23. shower — to wash
  24. craft — a handicraft

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