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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 · bear · lean · hand · toast · current · pitch · ground

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — boats
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. ground — a position
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. lean — to bend
  10. hand — help
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bear — the animal
  14. current — happening now
  15. lean — thin
  16. toast — bread
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bear — the animal
  19. current — electric
  20. ground — the earth
  21. hand — in cards
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. current — of water

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