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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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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. craft — boats
  5. last — final
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. staff — employees
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bound — tied together
  13. spring — the season
  14. kid — to tease
  15. spring — of water
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. last — finally
  19. spring — a coil
  20. last — to go on
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. kid — child
  23. pound — a weight
  24. craft — a skill

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