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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: bay · tear · mark · hand · root · craft · roll · field

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. roll — a list
  5. field — farmland
  6. tear — to rip
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. hand — help
  9. mark — a grade
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a skill
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. field — a subject
  16. root — the cause
  17. field — for sport
  18. tear — from crying
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. hand — in cards

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