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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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. field — for sport
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. craft — a skill
  7. board — a committee
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bear — the animal
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. board — to get on
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bound — certain
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mouse — the animal

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