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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. fine — high quality
  3. saw — the tool
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. shower — rain
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. root — the cause
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. craft — boats
  13. shower — to wash
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — of a plant
  16. band — a music group
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chip — for betting
  19. saw — the tool
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. chip — to eat
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. fine — all right

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