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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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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: bear · net · mine · nail · pound · bat · craft · coach

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. craft — a skill
  3. net — for catching
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. net — after costs
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. net — in sport
  11. pound — a weight
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. craft — boats
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pound — to hit hard

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