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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · key · mark · craft · lean · spell · ground · tear

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mark — a grade
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. tear — from crying
  6. key — the most important part
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lean — to bend
  9. ball — a great time
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. key — for a lock
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. craft — a skill
  14. spell — letters
  15. ground — a position
  16. spell — magic
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ground — the earth
  22. key — in music
  23. lean — thin
  24. spell — a short time

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