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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bank — for money
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. net — for catching
  5. wake — a trail
  6. board — to get on
  7. bank — of a river
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. game — a match
  10. craft — a skill
  11. board — a committee
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bank — for money
  16. game — wild animals
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs

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