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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · object · rock · race · craft · land

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. race — humankind
  3. land — to come down
  4. object — a thing
  5. land — ground
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — a contest
  11. rock — a stone
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. object — an aim
  16. land — a country
  17. craft — boats
  18. cell — in a prison

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