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

Word bank: wake · racket · craft · cold · hide · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wake — a trail
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. swing — in golf
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. swing — music
  10. cold — an illness
  11. craft — a skill
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise

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