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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: wound · fine · key · kid · craft · arm · spring · present

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — the time now
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. key — in music
  7. kid — child
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. spring — the season
  10. present — there
  11. key — for a lock
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fine — high quality
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. craft — a skill
  20. wound — an injury
  21. kid — to tease
  22. fine — all right
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wound — an injury

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