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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: bound · saw · ball · craft · trunk · race · face · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. ball — a dance
  3. face — part of the head
  4. ball — a great time
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. kid — child
  8. bound — tied together
  9. face — to point toward
  10. craft — a skill
  11. race — humankind
  12. saw — the tool
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. race — the arms race
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. craft — boats
  18. saw — the tool
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bound — certain
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. face — to confront
  23. bound — obliged
  24. race — a contest

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