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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. pitch — completely
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. fall — the season
  11. squash — the sport
  12. root — of a plant
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. squash — to crush
  15. roll — a list
  16. current — of water
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. roll — a cake
  20. current — happening now
  21. wind — moving air
  22. root — the cause
  23. current — electric
  24. wind — moving air

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