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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. mark — a trace
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. craft — boats
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hand — help
  7. mine — for digging
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. snap — to click
  13. root — of a word
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. root — of a plant
  16. hand — in cards
  17. root — the cause
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mark — a grade
  20. last — final
  21. last — finally
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. last — to go on
  24. nail — for a hammer

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