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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 120 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: mate · craft · wind · chair · spell · board

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. mate — a partner
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. chair — a leader
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. board — to get on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mate — to breed
  16. spell — a short time
  17. mate — a friend
  18. board — a committee

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