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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: bound · fall · court · dip · craft · mug · squash · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fall — to drop
  4. court — of a king
  5. fall — the season
  6. mug — to rob
  7. court — of law
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bound — certain
  10. craft — boats
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. fall — to drop
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. wake — a trail
  18. court — for sport
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — a cup
  23. dip — to sink
  24. craft — a skill

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