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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · last · object · club · root · staff · rule · drill

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. craft — a skill
  4. rule — a law
  5. club — for golf
  6. object — an aim
  7. craft — boats
  8. drill — a practice
  9. object — to protest
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. object — a thing
  12. last — finally
  13. staff — a stick
  14. last — final
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. drill — the tool
  17. club — a group
  18. drill — army training
  19. last — to go on
  20. club — for dancing
  21. rule — government
  22. staff — employees
  23. root — the cause
  24. staff — employees

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