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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: mug · bound · date · wound · craft · stock · ball · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stock — goods
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — to rob
  8. date — the fruit
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bound — obliged
  15. craft — boats
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. stock — shares
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bound — certain
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wound — an injury
  24. date — on the calendar

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