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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. swing — music
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. swing — to play on
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bank — of a river
  9. band — a ring
  10. hand — in cards
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. hand — help
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. fall — to drop
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. craft — boats
  19. fall — to drop
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pound — a weight
  22. band — a music group
  23. fall — the season
  24. craft — a skill

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