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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 116 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: cap · bat · coach · bound · ball · craft · row · spell

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. craft — a skill
  6. row — a line
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a lid
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. craft — boats
  15. row — to paddle
  16. ball — a great time
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bound — certain
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cap — a hat
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. spell — magic
  24. ball — a dance

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