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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: band · march · craft · temple · stick · bore · cell · staff

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. band — a music group
  3. bore — to tire
  4. staff — a stick
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. cell — in biology
  8. march — the month
  9. cell — a phone
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. band — a ring
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. march — music
  18. staff — employees
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. march — the month
  21. staff — employees
  22. craft — boats
  23. bore — to drill
  24. cell — in a prison

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