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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: craft · cell · present · land · board · bark · ball · rest

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. present — a gift
  3. ball — a dance
  4. present — there
  5. cell — a phone
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. craft — boats
  10. land — to come down
  11. rest — a break
  12. present — the time now
  13. craft — a skill
  14. board — a committee
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bark — to shout
  18. ball — a great time
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. cell — in biology
  21. board — to get on
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. land — ground
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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