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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. root — of a word
  3. craft — a skill
  4. stock — shares
  5. root — of a plant
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. hand — in cards
  8. root — the cause
  9. stock — goods
  10. snap — to click
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. staff — a stick
  13. craft — boats
  14. tear — from crying
  15. staff — employees
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. hand — help
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. tear — from crying
  20. vault — a safe
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. tear — to rip

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