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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: field · bat · mug · cap · craft · cabinet · rock · bound

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bound — certain
  3. field — farmland
  4. craft — boats
  5. mug — a face
  6. bound — tied together
  7. field — for sport
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mug — a cup
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bound — obliged
  17. craft — a skill
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mug — to rob
  20. rock — music
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. cap — a hat
  24. field — a subject

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