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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. craft — boats
  3. drill — a practice
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. band — a ring
  6. drill — the tool
  7. band — a music group
  8. drill — army training
  9. craft — a skill
  10. suit — clothes
  11. roll — a cake
  12. wound — an injury
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. suit — in cards
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bound — obliged
  21. roll — a list
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bound — certain
  24. bore — gave birth

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