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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · leaves · bowl · wound · craft · kid · fan · plane

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bound — obliged
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bound — certain
  9. plane — a tool
  10. craft — boats
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. kid — child
  16. bound — tied together
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — a skill
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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