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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: march · lash · ground · saw · craft · bear · ball · bat

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ball — a great time
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bat — the animal
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. march — the month
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. march — the month
  13. bear — the animal
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — boats
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ground — crushed
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. march — music
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bear — to put up with

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