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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. saw — the tool
  3. dip — to sink
  4. staff — employees
  5. tear — from crying
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a skill
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. pop — music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pop — to visit
  14. staff — employees
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. tear — from crying
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. root — of a plant
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. pop — soda
  21. tear — to rip
  22. row — to paddle
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. row — a line

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