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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: racket · mate · cell · fall · bound · mine · craft · squash

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bound — obliged
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fall — the season
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fall — to drop
  9. craft — boats
  10. bound — certain
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cell — in biology
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mate — a friend
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. squash — the sport
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fall — to drop
  24. craft — a handicraft

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