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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rash — a series
  7. hand — help
  8. suit — clothes
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. fork — in a road
  12. band — a ring
  13. craft — boats
  14. suit — to fit
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. stock — goods
  19. suit — in cards
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stock — shares
  23. craft — a skill
  24. hand — in cards

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