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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: drill · can · kick · bear · stock · craft · hand · band

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. craft — a skill
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. drill — army training
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. can — to be able to
  11. stock — shares
  12. hand — in cards
  13. can — a tin
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stock — goods
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. bear — the animal
  21. kick — in football
  22. craft — boats
  23. drill — the tool
  24. can — a tin

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