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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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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: net · land · perch · snap · craft · band · suit · kid

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. net — for catching
  3. kid — child
  4. suit — clothes
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. perch — the fish
  8. land — ground
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — to fit
  13. band — a ring
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. craft — boats
  16. kid — to tease
  17. snap — to click
  18. net — after costs
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. land — a country
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. band — a music group
  23. net — in sport
  24. land — to come down

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