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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: band · craft · kid · stand · bay · cue · fan · pitcher

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. band — a music group
  6. craft — a skill
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. kid — to tease
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cue — for pool
  16. kid — child
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. band — a ring

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