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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fall — the season
  3. root — of a word
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. root — of a plant
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. craft — a skill
  9. pound — a weight
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fall — to drop
  12. squash — to crush
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. wax — to grow
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. root — the cause
  21. squash — the sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. mine — for digging

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