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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 116 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. root — of a word
  5. rest — a break
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. root — the cause
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. craft — a skill
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rest — what's left
  20. craft — boats
  21. land — ground
  22. key — the most important part
  23. root — of a plant
  24. straw — dry grass

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