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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. craft — boats
  6. cell — a phone
  7. land — a country
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. land — ground
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. band — a music group
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. land — to come down
  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