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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 116 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. band — a ring
  6. land — ground
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — boats
  11. shower — to wash
  12. scale — in music
  13. shower — rain
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a committee
  16. band — a music group
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. scale — size or range
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. craft — a handicraft

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