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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 116 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. present — the time now
  4. shower — rain
  5. present — there
  6. craft — a skill
  7. present — a gift
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — the cause
  12. object — to protest
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. shower — to wash
  20. object — an aim
  21. root — of a plant
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. land — a country
  24. object — a thing

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