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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 120 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: wake · pit · craft · leaves · straw · wind · root · nail

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. craft — a skill
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — the cause
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pit — a hole
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wind — moving air
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wind — moving air

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