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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.

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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: wake · spring · wound · ball · bulb · craft · sharp · bank

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bank — for money
  3. craft — a skill
  4. spring — the season
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bulb — for light
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bulb — for light
  20. craft — boats
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wake — a trail

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