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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. press — to push
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stem — to come from
  10. season — in sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. craft — boats
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. spell — a short time
  17. press — newspapers
  18. season — of the year
  19. spell — magic
  20. press — a publisher
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. ground — a position
  23. spell — letters
  24. craft — a skill

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