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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. spring — the season
  3. last — to go on
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. net — for catching
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ground — the earth
  9. board — a committee
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. net — after costs
  13. craft — boats
  14. board — to get on
  15. last — final
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ground — crushed
  20. craft — a skill
  21. last — finally
  22. net — in sport
  23. ground — a position
  24. wind — moving air

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