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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: kid · craft · season · fall · racket · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fall — the season
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fall — to drop
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. season — in sport
  14. kid — child
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. kid — to tease
  18. fall — to drop

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