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

Word bank: bank · cap · pound · net · saw · cold · wake · craft

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. saw — the tool
  3. net — in sport
  4. cap — of ice
  5. craft — boats
  6. pound — a weight
  7. cold — an illness
  8. net — after costs
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cap — a hat
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bank — of a river
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. net — for catching
  22. cold — not warm
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. wake — before a funeral

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