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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: date · perch · club · sharp · land · race · root · craft

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. race — the arms race
  5. craft — a skill
  6. land — a country
  7. club — for golf
  8. root — of a plant
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. land — to come down
  11. race — humankind
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. club — a group
  14. perch — the fish
  15. root — of a word
  16. club — for dancing
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. craft — boats
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. race — a contest
  23. root — the cause
  24. perch — for a bird

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