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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: pit · wave · march · hand · cap · craft · spring · bound

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. spring — the season
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. pit — a hole
  5. hand — in cards
  6. craft — boats
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. bound — certain
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. hand — help
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pit — in a race
  15. craft — a skill
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cap — of ice
  18. march — music
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bound — obliged
  24. spring — of water

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