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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 120 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: game · rash · bound · fall · staff · craft · mug · bear

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. staff — a stick
  3. craft — boats
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rash — hasty
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bound — obliged
  9. staff — employees
  10. mug — a face
  11. rash — a series
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mug — a cup
  17. game — a match
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. game — wild animals
  20. staff — employees
  21. fall — the season
  22. bear — the animal
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. fall — to drop

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