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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: land · snap · rush · band · rest · craft · nail · present

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. present — there
  3. craft — boats
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. rush — hurry
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. land — a country
  9. rest — a break
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. craft — a skill
  12. snap — to click
  13. band — a music group
  14. rest — what's left
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. band — a ring
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — the time now
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rush — a thrill

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