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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. root — the cause
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rush — hurry
  8. craft — boats
  9. lean — to bend
  10. spring — of water
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. spring — the season
  14. kick — in football
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. prune — to trim
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. root — of a plant
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. spring — a coil
  23. root — of a word
  24. rush — a thrill

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