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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: craft · firm · jam · bat · band · bound · drill · perch

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. craft — boats
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. craft — a skill
  8. band — a music group
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bound — tied together
  11. drill — army training
  12. firm — decided
  13. bound — certain
  14. firm — steady
  15. band — a ring
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. drill — a practice
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bound — obliged
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. firm — a company
  24. perch — the fish

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