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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 · lie · sharp · root · land · fine · ground · tube

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. ground — a position
  2. craft — a skill
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. sharp — clever
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. root — the cause
  8. craft — boats
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fine — high quality
  11. tube — a container
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. ground — crushed
  15. root — of a plant
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. lie — to recline
  18. land — ground
  19. fine — all right
  20. land — to come down
  21. root — of a word
  22. tube — the underground
  23. land — a country
  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