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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: board · sharp · bulb · ground · land · craft · face · chair

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. face — part of the head
  4. board — to get on
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bulb — for light
  7. land — a country
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. chair — a leader
  10. ground — a position
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. face — to confront
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. land — to come down
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bulb — for light
  20. craft — a skill
  21. face — to point toward
  22. land — ground
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. board — a committee

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