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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: ground · bowl · calf · wake · straw · bound · game · craft

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. ground — crushed
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ground — the earth
  10. craft — boats
  11. game — a match
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. ground — a position
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bound — certain
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. craft — a skill
  22. wake — a trail
  23. game — wild animals
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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