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

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. stem — to come from
  5. spell — magic
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. swing — to play on
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. band — a music group
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. plane — a tool
  13. craft — boats
  14. spell — letters
  15. band — a ring
  16. craft — a skill
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. spell — a short time
  19. kick — in football
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — music
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. chair — a leader

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