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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. rock — music
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. root — of a word
  12. craft — boats
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. rock — a stone
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. root — of a plant
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. root — the cause
  21. craft — a skill
  22. land — ground
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. tear — to rip

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