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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · fall · mine · bound · craft · wake · object · cold

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. fall — the season
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bound — obliged
  5. object — a thing
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. craft — a skill
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. object — to protest
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. degree — temperature
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. degree — from a university
  18. craft — boats
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fall — to drop
  22. object — an aim
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bound — certain

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