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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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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 · saw · ball · fork · rock · mouse · net · craft

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bound — certain
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. fork — in a road
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bound — obliged
  8. net — for catching
  9. bound — tied together
  10. craft — a skill
  11. net — after costs
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. net — in sport
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ball — a dance
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rock — a stone
  18. craft — boats
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. rock — music
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. ball — a round shape

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