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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: straw · root · tear · mate · fall · date · craft · content

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. fall — to drop
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. fall — the season
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. root — the cause
  12. craft — boats
  13. mate — to breed
  14. root — of a plant
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. tear — from crying
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mate — a friend
  22. content — the amount
  23. mate — a partner
  24. content — happy

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