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

Word bank: bay · dip · kid · rash · root · saw · kick · craft

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. saw — the tool
  8. root — of a word
  9. craft — boats
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kid — child
  12. root — of a plant
  13. kid — to tease
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. root — the cause
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. dip — to sink
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. rash — a series
  24. kick — in football

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