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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. craft — boats
  3. root — of a plant
  4. craft — a skill
  5. prune — to trim
  6. root — the cause
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. kid — to tease
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. rush — hurry
  14. kid — child
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pound — a weight
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. root — of a word
  24. pound — for dogs

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