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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 · march · bound · hide · snap · wound · bowl · trunk

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bound — obliged
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a skill
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. snap — to click
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bound — certain
  23. march — the month
  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