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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · ground · mine · tube · craft · stick · game · toast

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. game — a match
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. craft — a skill
  12. mine — for digging
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. toast — bread
  17. game — wild animals
  18. tube — the underground
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. tube — a container
  21. ground — a position
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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