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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. spell — letters
  3. craft — boats
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. spell — a short time
  7. net — in sport
  8. rock — music
  9. net — after costs
  10. rash — a series
  11. net — for catching
  12. stem — to come from
  13. land — to come down
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. rock — a stone
  20. craft — a skill
  21. land — a country
  22. spell — magic
  23. pound — a weight
  24. rash — hasty

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