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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: lean · arm · spring · craft · racket · hand · tear · bowl

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a skill
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lean — thin
  9. hand — help
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. tear — from crying
  20. spring — of water
  21. tear — to rip
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. hand — part of the body

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