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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 116 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: bound · pass · rush · saw · wound · rock · cold · craft

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bound — tied together
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. rock — a stone
  9. cold — not warm
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cold — an illness
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. rush — hurry
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bound — certain
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rush — to hurry

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