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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: craft · can · ground · cold · spell · deal · bore · face

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cold — an illness
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bore — to drill
  5. spell — magic
  6. can — to be able to
  7. spell — letters
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bore — to tire
  10. craft — boats
  11. can — a tin
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. craft — a skill
  15. deal — to handle
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. ground — crushed
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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