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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: land · bound · wind · field · sharp · craft · board · season

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bound — certain
  3. wind — moving air
  4. board — a committee
  5. bound — tied together
  6. field — farmland
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. season — of the year
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — in sport
  12. craft — a skill
  13. field — for sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. board — to get on
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. field — a subject
  19. land — to come down
  20. bound — obliged
  21. land — ground
  22. craft — boats
  23. land — a country
  24. craft — a handicraft

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