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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. stem — to come from
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. craft — boats
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. date — the fruit
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. craft — a skill
  20. root — of a word
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. root — the cause
  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