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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: craft · spring · cabinet · pit · scale · mug · board · wake

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. board — a committee
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. spring — the season
  8. wake — a trail
  9. scale — size or range
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mug — to rob
  14. spring — a coil
  15. scale — in music
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. spring — of water
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. mug — a face
  22. board — to get on
  23. mug — a cup
  24. craft — a handicraft

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