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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: band · chair · craft · date · fine · ground · lash · hand

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. ground — the earth
  4. craft — a skill
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. band — a music group
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. ground — crushed
  10. craft — boats
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. date — the fruit
  14. chair — a leader
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. hand — help
  17. ground — a position
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. fine — all right
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. hand — in cards
  22. band — a ring
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fine — high quality

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