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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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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: date · bat · craft · cold · pop · rest · root · leaves

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pop — music
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — the cause
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. craft — a skill
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pop — soda
  12. cold — an illness
  13. root — of a plant
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cold — not warm
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. craft — boats
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rest — a break
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bat — the animal

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