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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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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. craft — boats
  3. bass — low music
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. staff — employees
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. staff — employees
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. staff — a stick
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bear — the animal
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bass — the instrument

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