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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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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: mate · board · stick · kid · root · squash · ground · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. craft — a skill
  4. mate — a friend
  5. squash — the sport
  6. ground — the earth
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. squash — to crush
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. root — of a word
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mate — a partner
  14. root — the cause
  15. mate — to breed
  16. root — of a plant
  17. ground — a position
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. ground — crushed
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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