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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bank — for money
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. craft — boats
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bank — for money
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. craft — a skill
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. root — of a word
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. saw — the tool
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bank — of a river
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. root — the cause
  24. cold — not warm

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