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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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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. last — finally
  4. bank — for money
  5. last — final
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bank — of a river
  8. band — a ring
  9. bank — for money
  10. sharp — clever
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a skill
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. drill — a practice
  19. ground — crushed
  20. drill — army training
  21. last — to go on
  22. drill — the tool
  23. tube — a container
  24. band — a music group

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