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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: root · tear · wake · sharp · stem · kid · charge · craft

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. root — of a plant
  6. tear — to rip
  7. root — the cause
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stem — to come from
  10. craft — a skill
  11. charge — a price
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. sharp — clever
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. charge — electricity
  16. kid — to tease
  17. charge — in control
  18. wake — a trail
  19. kid — child
  20. root — of a word
  21. craft — boats
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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