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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: ground · rest · content · pop · craft · march · squash · shower

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. rest — what's left
  3. craft — a skill
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — to visit
  6. squash — the sport
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pop — music
  13. ground — crushed
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rest — a break
  16. content — the amount
  17. march — music
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. craft — boats
  22. shower — to wash
  23. squash — to crush
  24. content — happy

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