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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: temple · swing · bear · foot · craft · root · court · mug

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. court — of a king
  4. root — the cause
  5. craft — boats
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. court — for sport
  8. root — of a plant
  9. swing — to play on
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. swing — in golf
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bear — the animal
  14. court — of law
  15. craft — a skill
  16. mug — a face
  17. foot — a measure
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bear — the animal
  21. swing — music
  22. mug — to rob
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bear — to put up with

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