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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: ground · wind · present · mouse · roll · craft · coach · land

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. craft — a skill
  3. ground — a position
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. land — ground
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. present — a gift
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. ground — the earth
  16. land — to come down
  17. wind — moving air
  18. present — there
  19. roll — a cake
  20. craft — boats
  21. land — a country
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. roll — a list
  24. present — the time now

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