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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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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 · pass · season · bark · bound · object · hand · wax

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. object — to protest
  4. pass — a permit
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — an aim
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bound — obliged
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. hand — help
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. season — of the year
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bark — to shout
  23. season — in sport
  24. pass — to spend time

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