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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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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: board · snap · craft · wind · nail · stand · root · cell

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. root — of a plant
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. root — of a word
  5. cell — a phone
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. stand — to bear
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wind — moving air
  13. root — the cause
  14. board — to get on
  15. wind — moving air
  16. snap — to click
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. cell — in biology
  21. board — a committee
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stand — for spectators

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