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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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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 · wake · scale · pitch · wind · craft · cell · bay

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cell — a phone
  6. scale — in music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. craft — boats

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