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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: content · craft · sharp · bay · spring · clip · scale · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. spring — of water
  6. scale — in music
  7. spring — a coil
  8. craft — a skill
  9. content — the amount
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. sharp — clever
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. clip — a video
  15. spring — the season
  16. clip — to cut
  17. scale — size or range
  18. craft — boats
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. clip — for paper
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. content — happy
  23. ground — a position
  24. sharp — with an edge

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