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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 120 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: mate · band · fork · sharp · game · stem · rash · craft

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. game — a match
  3. fork — in a road
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. sharp — clever
  7. game — wild animals
  8. band — a music group
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. craft — a skill
  11. rash — a series
  12. mate — a partner
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mate — to breed
  21. craft — boats
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. mate — a friend
  24. game — a kind of play

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