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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: last · craft · spring · root · bat · snap · toast · foot

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. last — final
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. root — the cause
  8. spring — of water
  9. toast — bread
  10. spring — a coil
  11. last — finally
  12. craft — a skill
  13. last — to go on
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — a measure
  16. craft — boats
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bat — the animal
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. root — of a word
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. spring — the season

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