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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: ground · root · toast · cap · last · craft · leaves · track

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. ground — the earth
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. craft — boats
  6. track — a path
  7. cap — of ice
  8. track — to keep track
  9. ground — a position
  10. cap — a hat
  11. last — final
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. craft — a skill
  14. cap — a lid
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. last — finally
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. last — to go on
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. root — of a word
  23. toast — bread
  24. ground — crushed

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