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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 120 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: saw · object · mine · craft · board · ground · scale · race

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. race — a contest
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. object — a thing
  5. craft — a skill
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. race — the arms race
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. craft — boats
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. saw — the tool
  15. scale — in music
  16. object — to protest
  17. scale — size or range
  18. object — an aim
  19. race — humankind
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mine — for digging

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