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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · land · craft · prune · perch · staff · kick · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. staff — employees
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. craft — boats
  7. staff — a stick
  8. spring — the season
  9. prune — to trim
  10. land — ground
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. spring — a coil
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. staff — employees
  20. band — a ring
  21. spring — of water
  22. craft — a skill
  23. prune — to trim
  24. kick — in football

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