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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 120 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: track · wake · mate · hand · bound · pit · shower · craft

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. mate — a partner
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. shower — rain
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wake — a trail
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pit — in a race
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bound — certain
  18. mate — a friend
  19. craft — a skill
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bound — obliged
  23. track — a path
  24. hand — help

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