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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. 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. craft — a skill
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. row — a line
  5. net — for catching
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bound — obliged
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. net — in sport
  12. row — to paddle
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bound — certain
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bound — tied together
  18. band — a music group
  19. ball — a great time
  20. net — after costs
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. 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