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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. root — of a word
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. craft — boats
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. hand — in cards
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pitch — completely
  18. root — the cause
  19. mate — a partner
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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