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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: ground · hide · craft · rock · wake · nail · band · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. ground — the earth
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. band — a ring
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. craft — a skill
  7. band — a music group
  8. wake — a trail
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ground — crushed
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. rock — music
  14. kid — to tease
  15. ground — a position
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. rock — a stone
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. band — a rubber band

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