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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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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: deal · tear · mate · board · craft · pound

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. mate — a partner
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. craft — a skill
  6. board — a committee
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pound — a weight
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. craft — boats
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mate — to breed

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