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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.

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: last · wound · wake · mug · mate · fork · fan · craft

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mug — a cup
  5. last — to go on
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. last — final
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. mug — to rob
  10. craft — boats
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. last — finally
  15. fork — in a road
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mate — to breed
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mug — a face
  24. wound — an injury

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