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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · root · staff · rule · cold · pitch · cell · craft

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. craft — a skill
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rule — government
  5. root — the cause
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cell — a phone
  8. staff — employees
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. staff — a stick
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. root — of a word
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. staff — employees
  18. root — of a plant
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rule — a law
  21. pitch — completely
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — in biology
  24. craft — boats

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