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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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 skill
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. root — of a plant
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. craft — boats
  12. root — the cause
  13. kid — child
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. kid — to tease
  16. net — in sport
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. net — after costs
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. net — for catching
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. chair — a leader

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