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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wound — an injury
  3. hand — in cards
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bore — to drill
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — completely
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. hand — help
  12. rock — a stone
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. root — the cause
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bore — to tire
  22. root — of a word
  23. craft — boats
  24. root — of a plant

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