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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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Word bank
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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: craft · straw · wound · kick · wake · court · root · lean

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — in football
  5. craft — boats
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. court — of law
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wake — a trail
  14. lean — to bend
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. court — of a king
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. court — for sport
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. lean — thin
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. craft — a skill

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