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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. drill — army training
  3. ground — a position
  4. craft — a skill
  5. current — happening now
  6. fine — all right
  7. spell — a short time
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fine — high quality
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. drill — a practice
  15. current — of water
  16. spell — magic
  17. ground — the earth
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. craft — boats
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. ground — crushed
  23. current — electric
  24. drill — the tool

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