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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mate · club · lean · last · bound · staff · pound

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bound — tied together
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. staff — employees
  6. pound — a weight
  7. last — final
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bound — obliged
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — thin
  12. last — to go on
  13. mate — to breed
  14. craft — boats
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bound — certain
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — a group
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. last — finally

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