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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 · charge · bat · press · bank · nail · bound · cold

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. craft — boats
  3. bank — for money
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. charge — a price
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. charge — in control
  11. craft — a skill
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bank — for money
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bound — certain

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