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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 120 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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. root — of a plant
  5. hand — help
  6. land — to come down
  7. hand — in cards
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mine — for digging
  12. craft — a skill
  13. stem — to come from
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mark — a trace
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. craft — boats
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. root — the cause
  24. mine — belonging to me

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