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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: craft · bound · wound · stem · ground · rule · object · chest

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bound — certain
  4. chest — a box
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. object — a thing
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ground — a position
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. stem — to come from
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. bound — obliged
  17. ground — crushed
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. rule — government
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rule — a law
  22. ground — the earth
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — boats

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