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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: trunk · object · rest · mine · snap · bound · content · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rest — a break
  4. object — an aim
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bound — obliged
  7. craft — boats
  8. mine — for digging
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. content — the amount
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. object — to protest
  13. bound — certain
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. bound — tied together
  17. object — a thing
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rest — what's left
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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