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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 116 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
468
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: mug · craft · bear · cold · leaves · rush · root · bat

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mug — a face
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. root — the cause
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rush — hurry
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. craft — boats
  17. bear — the animal
  18. root — of a plant
  19. cold — an illness
  20. root — of a word
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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