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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. root — of a word
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. ground — a position
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. spring — the season
  8. ground — crushed
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. ground — the earth
  11. spring — of water
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. root — of a plant
  15. spring — a coil
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. sharp — clever
  18. band — a music group
  19. root — the cause
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. craft — a skill
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. craft — boats
  24. band — a ring

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