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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: fine · craft · safe · foot · row · tear · root · perch

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. perch — the fish
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fine — all right
  12. tear — from crying
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. craft — a skill
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. root — the cause
  21. row — a line
  22. fine — high quality
  23. craft — boats
  24. row — to paddle

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