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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: tube · pop · row · fork · wake · kick · club · craft

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. club — for golf
  3. pop — music
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. club — a group
  8. row — a line
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. craft — a skill
  12. fork — in a road
  13. kick — in football
  14. pop — to visit
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. craft — boats
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pop — soda
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. wake — a trail
  24. club — for dancing

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