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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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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: tear · game · rock · craft · mine · mate · kick · pound

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. craft — a skill
  5. mate — to breed
  6. kick — in football
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rock — a stone
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — music
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. craft — boats
  18. tear — from crying
  19. game — a match
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. tear — to rip
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — an explosive

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