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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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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 · hide · swing · season · wave · lie · stick · bound

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. craft — a skill
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bound — certain
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bound — tied together
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. craft — boats
  15. season — in sport
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. season — of the year
  23. bound — obliged
  24. swing — music

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