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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 116 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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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: bay · chair · craft · land · pound · stand · object · wound

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. object — an aim
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. stand — to bear
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. land — ground
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. object — a thing
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pound — a weight
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. wound — an injury
  23. object — to protest
  24. pound — to hit hard

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