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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bank — of a river
  4. craft — boats
  5. bound — obliged
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bound — certain
  8. field — for sport
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bank — for money
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. field — a subject
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. field — farmland
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bank — for money
  19. craft — a skill
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — to bear
  22. rash — a series
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bound — tied together

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