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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. craft — a skill
  3. kid — to tease
  4. ground — crushed
  5. kid — child
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. ball — a dance
  9. craft — boats
  10. capital — a city
  11. season — in sport
  12. wind — moving air
  13. root — the cause
  14. capital — money
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ground — the earth
  17. season — of the year
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. root — of a word
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. ground — a position
  23. ball — a great time
  24. capital — a big letter

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