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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 120 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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — of a word
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. cold — not warm
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. ground — crushed
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. ground — the earth
  12. root — the cause
  13. craft — boats
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bore — to tire
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. ground — a position
  24. track — to keep track

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