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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. band — a music group
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. band — a ring
  8. chip — to eat
  9. craft — a skill
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chip — for betting
  14. spring — of water
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. spring — the season
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. craft — boats
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. spring — a coil

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