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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: rash · staff · squash · craft · pound · spell · track · swing

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. swing — to play on
  5. spell — a short time
  6. swing — in golf
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. spell — letters
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rash — a series
  11. swing — music
  12. craft — a skill
  13. rash — hasty
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pound — a weight
  16. track — to keep track
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. staff — a stick
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. track — a path
  22. spell — magic
  23. track — a song
  24. rash — on the skin

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