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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bass — the fish
  7. last — finally
  8. bore — to drill
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wind — moving air
  12. face — to confront
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. last — to go on
  15. craft — boats
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. face — part of the head
  19. craft — a skill
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. staff — employees
  24. wind — moving air

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