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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 116 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: spring · sharp · ground · band · lash · rash · fork · craft

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. band — a ring
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rash — a series
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. ground — the earth
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. ground — crushed
  14. rash — hasty
  15. sharp — clever
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. fork — in a road
  23. ground — a position
  24. spring — of water

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