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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: root · date · craft · wound · cold · ruler · coach · spell

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. root — of a plant
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. spell — letters
  5. craft — a skill
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cold — an illness
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. root — of a word
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — boats
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. spell — magic
  19. root — the cause
  20. spell — a short time
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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