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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. root — of a plant
  4. drill — a practice
  5. root — of a word
  6. ground — the earth
  7. scale — in music
  8. drill — army training
  9. craft — boats
  10. ground — crushed
  11. squash — the sport
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — a skill
  14. scale — size or range
  15. root — the cause
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. squash — to crush
  18. ground — a position

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