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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: mine · key · cold · ruler · present · craft · pitcher · wound

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. present — a gift
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wound — an injury
  17. key — in music
  18. cold — not warm
  19. craft — a skill
  20. cold — an illness
  21. present — the time now
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. key — for a lock
  24. mine — for digging

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