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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: mate · fork · spring · kid · cabinet · coach · craft · band

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. kid — to tease
  3. band — a music group
  4. craft — boats
  5. band — a ring
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. spring — the season
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mate — to breed
  12. kid — child
  13. mate — a friend
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. mate — a partner
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — in a road

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