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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
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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: craft · board · row · calf · bound · club · season · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. land — to come down
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. board — to get on
  8. craft — a skill
  9. club — for golf
  10. land — a country
  11. bound — certain
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bound — obliged
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bound — tied together
  17. season — in sport
  18. club — a group
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. club — for dancing
  22. season — of the year
  23. land — ground
  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