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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: tear · chest · bound · jam · craft · ball · cap · temple

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bound — obliged
  3. chest — a box
  4. craft — a skill
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ball — a great time
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chest — of your body
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. chest — of your body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. cap — a lid
  14. tear — to rip
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bound — tied together
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cap — of ice
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bound — certain
  22. craft — boats
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. ball — a round shape

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