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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: content · craft · ground · saw · spell · root · shower · cap

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. root — of a plant
  3. craft — boats
  4. root — the cause
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. root — of a word
  7. ground — the earth
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. spell — magic
  10. content — the amount
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. ground — a position
  14. cap — a hat
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. ground — crushed
  19. content — happy
  20. cap — a lid
  21. craft — a skill
  22. spell — a short time
  23. cap — of ice
  24. saw — the tool

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