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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. date — the fruit
  6. rush — hurry
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. suit — in cards
  9. hand — in cards
  10. can — a tin
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. can — a tin
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. suit — to fit
  19. can — to be able to
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. craft — boats
  22. hand — help
  23. suit — clothes
  24. band — a music group

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