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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: craft · root · staff · date · fall · cue · nail · row

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cue — for pool
  3. date — the fruit
  4. staff — a stick
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fall — the season
  7. cue — a signal
  8. staff — employees
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. cue — a hint
  12. root — the cause
  13. row — to paddle
  14. root — of a plant
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. fall — to drop
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fall — to drop
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. row — a line
  22. craft — boats
  23. row — a quarrel
  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