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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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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 · mate · kid · rule · trunk · craft · pound · saw

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. ground — crushed
  3. kid — child
  4. saw — the tool
  5. craft — boats
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. craft — a skill
  8. mate — a partner
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pound — a weight
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. ground — a position
  19. saw — the tool
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rule — a law
  23. kid — to tease
  24. rule — government

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