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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: bound · craft · scale · rest · wound · wind · staff · game

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bound — tied together
  4. wind — moving air
  5. scale — size or range
  6. game — a match
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. staff — employees
  10. rest — a break
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. staff — a stick
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bound — certain
  18. game — wild animals
  19. rest — what's left
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. staff — employees
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. wind — moving air
  24. scale — in music

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