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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: shower · coach · mate · spring · craft · can · clip · root

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. root — of a plant
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. mate — to breed
  5. craft — a skill
  6. clip — for paper
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. spring — of water
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. mate — a friend
  12. root — of a word
  13. mate — a partner
  14. spring — the season
  15. craft — boats
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. clip — to cut
  18. shower — to wash
  19. spring — a coil
  20. root — the cause
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. shower — rain
  24. clip — a video

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