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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: mug · track · craft · land · mine · saw · bound · degree

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. land — a country
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mug — a face
  6. saw — the tool
  7. degree — temperature
  8. mug — a cup
  9. land — to come down
  10. craft — a skill
  11. track — a song
  12. land — ground
  13. bound — certain
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. track — a path
  19. mine — for digging
  20. saw — the tool
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bound — tied together
  23. degree — an amount
  24. craft — boats

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