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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. mate — a friend
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — a list
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. spring — the season
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. mine — for digging
  10. craft — boats
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. spring — a coil
  14. current — happening now
  15. ground — crushed
  16. spring — of water
  17. mate — a partner
  18. craft — a skill
  19. ground — a position
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. current — of water
  22. plane — a tool
  23. current — electric
  24. mate — to breed

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