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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. craft — a skill
  3. field — farmland
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bound — certain
  6. last — finally
  7. bore — to drill
  8. snap — to click
  9. pop — to visit
  10. field — a subject
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pop — music
  13. root — of a word
  14. pop — soda
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bound — tied together
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. field — for sport
  19. craft — boats
  20. root — of a plant
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bound — obliged
  23. root — the cause
  24. last — final

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