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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: bat · root · field · content · craft · shower · staff · rash

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. field — for sport
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. craft — a skill
  11. content — the amount
  12. root — of a word
  13. content — happy
  14. shower — to wash
  15. craft — boats
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rash — hasty
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. staff — employees
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. root — the cause
  24. staff — employees

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