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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. ground — a position
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. ground — the earth
  8. root — of a plant
  9. spring — the season
  10. drill — the tool
  11. spring — of water
  12. root — the cause
  13. spell — letters
  14. squash — the sport
  15. root — of a word
  16. spell — magic
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. game — a match
  19. ground — crushed
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spring — a coil
  22. squash — to crush
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — wild animals

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