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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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Word bank
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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: swing · file · craft · band · patient · wind

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. swing — in golf
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wind — moving air
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wind — moving air
  11. swing — music
  12. file — a document
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. band — a music group
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. craft — boats

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