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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: toast · pitcher · date · craft · tear · rest · root · bass

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. tear — from crying
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bass — the fish
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rest — what's left
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bass — low music
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. tear — to rip
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. craft — a skill
  24. toast — bread

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