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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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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: bowl · craft · cap · row · wave · kick

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — boats
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. cap — a lid
  7. craft — a skill
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. kick — in football
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. row — a line
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. row — to paddle
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — a thrill

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