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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. ground — the earth
  4. band — a ring
  5. spring — of water
  6. pop — to visit
  7. ground — a position
  8. rash — a series
  9. craft — a skill
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pop — soda
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. spring — the season
  15. ground — crushed
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pop — music
  18. rash — hasty
  19. kid — child
  20. band — a music group
  21. spring — a coil
  22. craft — boats
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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