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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: net · row · bear · wind · craft · leaves · bore · lie

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. net — after costs
  4. craft — boats
  5. net — in sport
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bear — the animal
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. net — for catching
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wind — moving air
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. row — a line
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bore — to tire
  24. wind — moving air

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