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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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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: can · craft · ground · rule · track · shower · spring · row

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. shower — to wash
  3. ground — the earth
  4. craft — a skill
  5. row — a line
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. shower — rain
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. track — to keep track
  12. craft — boats
  13. rule — government
  14. row — to paddle
  15. spring — the season
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. track — a song
  18. can — to be able to
  19. ground — a position
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. ground — crushed
  23. rule — a law
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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