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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 · mine · rest · pitcher · cold · net · mug · bound

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. net — for catching
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mug — a cup
  6. net — after costs
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. net — in sport
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mug — a face
  15. craft — boats
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rest — a break
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bound — obliged

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