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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: land · craft · ground · bay · spring · pop · deal · foot

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. craft — a skill
  3. land — ground
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. craft — boats
  6. land — to come down
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. ground — the earth
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. spring — a coil
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. ground — a position
  16. pop — to visit
  17. land — a country
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. foot — a measure
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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