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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. perch — the fish
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. craft — boats
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cap — a lid
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. band — a music group
  13. cap — of ice
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a list
  16. craft — a skill
  17. cap — a hat
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. band — a ring
  20. roll — a cake
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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