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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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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: wound · craft · cabinet · hide · pit · file · bowl · saw

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. craft — boats
  3. file — a tool
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. file — a document
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. file — a line of people
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. craft — a skill
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wound — an injury
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. cabinet — ministers

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