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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bank — for money
  3. firm — decided
  4. row — a line
  5. root — of a plant
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bank — of a river
  9. craft — boats
  10. ball — a great time
  11. root — of a word
  12. bank — for money
  13. craft — a skill
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. race — a contest
  17. root — the cause
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — to paddle
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. wound — an injury
  22. race — the arms race
  23. firm — a company
  24. race — humankind

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