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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.

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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: root · file · craft · fine · straw · board · wind · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. root — the cause
  3. row — a line
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. board — to get on
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fine — high quality
  12. wind — moving air
  13. file — a tool
  14. fine — all right
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. craft — boats
  20. root — of a plant
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. wind — moving air
  23. row — to paddle
  24. root — of a word

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