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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 116 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bound — obliged
  4. craft — a skill
  5. spring — the season
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. board — a committee
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. board — to get on
  12. spring — of water
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — boats

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