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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · pass · wind · craft · rule · bear

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rule — a law
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rule — government
  11. pass — a permit
  12. craft — a skill
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bear — the animal

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