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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. ground — crushed
  3. craft — boats
  4. squash — the sport
  5. degree — temperature
  6. ground — the earth
  7. lean — to bend
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. root — of a word
  12. degree — from a university
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. root — the cause
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. ground — a position
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. root — of a plant
  22. hand — in cards
  23. degree — an amount
  24. hand — help

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