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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: saw · object · bank · game · chest · land · craft · pitcher

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bank — for money
  5. object — an aim
  6. chest — a box
  7. game — a match
  8. bank — for money
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. craft — boats
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. land — a country
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. land — ground
  18. object — a thing
  19. bank — of a river
  20. object — to protest
  21. land — to come down
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. chest — of your body
  24. saw — the tool

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