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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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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: drill · ground · bark · fan · spell · toast · branch · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. ground — crushed
  3. drill — the tool
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. spell — magic
  8. drill — a practice
  9. spell — a short time
  10. drill — army training
  11. spell — letters
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. ground — the earth
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bark — to shout
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ground — a position
  22. toast — bread
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. toast — the most admired

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