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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: staff · bay · kid · craft · root · wind · row · bound

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bound — tied together
  5. craft — boats
  6. row — to paddle
  7. staff — employees
  8. bound — certain
  9. root — of a word
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. row — a line
  14. kid — child
  15. root — the cause
  16. kid — to tease
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bound — obliged
  20. staff — employees
  21. wind — moving air
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. wind — moving air
  24. root — of a plant

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