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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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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: bat · craft · toast · bound · ground · band · mug · fall

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. fall — the season
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bound — tied together
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mug — to rob
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. mug — a face
  10. band — a music group
  11. bound — obliged
  12. band — a ring
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ground — a position
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bound — certain
  20. toast — bread
  21. fall — to drop
  22. craft — boats
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. craft — a skill

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